Road accidents seem to be rising on the UK roads. According to reports, a fair share of road crashes are the inevitable result of drunk driving. If you follow the market studies, there has been an alarming rise of around 17% in drunk-driving crashes over the past ten years in the UK. In simple words, 1 in 6 road deaths a year are due to the result of driving under the influence of alcohol. And the situation worsens during festive times such as Christmas or New Year!
BAC limit in the UK while driving
The drink-driving BAC limit in the UK is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood. The striking part is that all other European nations have opted for a much lower limit while England & Wales are sticking to their higher limit.
Why driving while being drunk is unsafe?
It’s always unsafe to drive while under the influence. Alcohol influences reaction times, vision & coordination, which, in turn, makes drunk driving truly risky. When you are in high spirits, it will take you longer to react to hazards and avoid road accidents that could have been avoided otherwise. Drunk driving lowers your chances of hitting the brakes and banging on time when a cat or passerby approaches you. The time taken between seeing a possible collision and finally hitting the brake is called the “thinking time”- even if it differs by just a few seconds while you are under the influence compared to when you are sober. This could mean the difference of life and death for somebody else.
Drinking causes you to underestimate the speed and distance of vehicles on the road. Your vision is also affected, further slowing down your reaction time. Moreover, drivers under the influence are prone to more reckless driving, which heightens the chances of accidents on the road. What many don’t understand is that drink driving even puts the driver’s life in jeopardy.
According to government surveys, more than 5,000 drivers fail in breath tests between 6 am and midday. It will take your body at least 1 hour to break down 1 unit of alcohol, which means if you have gulped down four pints of beer or four big wine glasses, the body will take a further 12 hours to leave your body.
Would lower limits help?
The allowed BAC limit for drivers has a crucial role to play regarding the resulting road accidents and casualties from drunk driving. Risks of road accidents increase by:
- 2x for drivers under .05 BAC
- 4x for drivers under .08 BAC
- 20x for drivers under .15 BAC.
You can see there is a strong relation between the allowed BAC limit for drivers and the threats of road accidents; with the UK’s drunk driving laws permitting a higher limit, collision, injury & casualty risks are even bigger compared to other European countries. Debates have been raised on whether the UK should consider a lower BAC limit following the lead of Scotland, which has shown positive results in drunk driving-related accidents after a lower limit has been introduced.
The Scottish government has already reduced the BAC limit from 80 to 50 mg, which led to a good 12.5% decrease in drink-driving offences post-December 2014, compared to years with higher limits.
More police checkposts
Studies have shown that drivers would be less prone to drink driving risks if there were chances of being stopped by the police. People who choose to violate the drunken driving laws are governed by the perception that there would be fewer police and fewer checks on the road. Thus, the experts are suggesting setting up more checkposts and more alert police officers so that drink drivers are compelled to think twice while driving under the influence.
Random checks
Random BAC checks by the police might also help curb drunk driving habits and consequent collisions on the road. If police were given the power to halt drivers randomly for surprise checks, and not just when they have a faulty car or are erratic, drivers would stay more alert and think twice before driving under the influence of alcohol.
While this blog aims to discuss whether drink driving has increased, we are fully aware that many people make mistakes, and ordinary people can be caught drink driving and learn from these mistakes. Sometimes, it’s a genuine error, such as getting in your car the morning after a night of drinking and thinking that you are now safe to drive. We know after a drunk driving conviction, it can be very difficult to find car insurance again as many insurers will not cover you; this is where we are different. We are specialists in the drink driver insurance market. If you are looking for a drunk driver insurance quote, contact Insurance Revolution.