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Report on motoring 2003 - drink, drugs and driving
Driving under the influence of drink and drugs remains a serious concern for Britain’s motorists. It is estimated that 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink-drive accidents. Since the 1970s, successive governments have worked to increase awareness of the dangers of drink-driving.
Report summary
Drunk driving
The general consensus is that these campaigns have been successful, and the UK now has a strong anti drink-driving culture:
More than 9 in 10 motorists believe that driving when over the legal limit is a dangerous and extremely serious crime.
Only 1% of motorists admitted to driving when over the alcohol limit in the last 12 months – yet, this still equates to approximately 200,000 drivers who have drink-driven in the last year.
Motorists display a high awareness of the maximum legal alcohol levels for driving and most err on the side of caution. Over 80% of motorists believe the legal alcohol level for the maximum amount of wine and spirits that may be drunk before driving to be lower than it actually is.
While the majority of motorists do not engage in drink-driving, most drivers believe there is an ongoing need to deter those who persist in driving while over the limit.
Motorists feel that current laws provide a powerful enough deterrent. Yet, 5 in 10 motorists believe that the one factor likely to reduce drink-driving is stricter enforcement of the current drink-driving laws.
8 in 10 motorists support the introduction of random breath testing.
Over 1 in 3 strongly agreed that the legal drink-drive limit should be reduced to ‘no alcohol at all’; in comparison only 1 in 5 strongly supported halving the limit.
The morning-after
Despite the progress made, driving after drinking heavily the night before, or ‘morning-after motoring’ remains a key concern – 6% of motorists admit to getting into a car in the last 12 months where the driver had been drinking heavily the night before:
‘Morning-after motoring’ is perceived as much less dangerous than driving on the same day when over the blood alcohol limit. 7 in 10 motorists stated that driving after drinking heavily the night before is extremely or very dangerous, compared to 9 in 10 for driving over the legal limit on the same day.
Despite the perception that ‘morning-after motoring’ is less dangerous than ‘same day’ drink-driving, only a small proportion of motorists believe that it should be officially classed as a less serious offence.
Young drivers and company car drivers are more likely to have been in a car where they knew the driver had been drinking heavily the night before.
Recreational/illegal drugs
While drink-driving has reduced, there is evidence that drug-driving is on the increase. Since 1988, there has been a six-fold increase in the number of people killed in road accidents who had traces of illegal drugs in their body. However, drivers do not admit to any increase in use.
3% of motorists admit to getting into a car when they knew the driver was under the influence of cannabis or marijuana and 1% of motorists admit to getting into a car when they knew the driver was under the influence of ‘harder’ drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine or amphetamines in the last 12 months.
Driving under the influence of cannabis or marijuana is perceived as less dangerous than driving under Class A drugs. 82% of motorists believe ‘hard’ drugs such as ecstasy, cocaine and heroin to be extremely dangerous, compared to just 65% who perceive driving under the influence of softer drugs such as cannabis or marijuana to be extremely dangerous.
Despite the threats to safety from drug-driving, the vast majority of companies do not conduct random drug tests on employees.
9 in 10 motorists support the introduction of machines to test for the presence of illicit drugs at the roadside.
Prescription drugs
The problem of drug-driving is not just confined to illicit drugs – prescription and over the counter medicines also pose a threat to safety, yet motorists appear to take the issue less seriously:
1 in 10 motorists admit to never reading the bottle or leaflet for warnings on driving and a further 2 in 10 say they only sometimes read the bottle or leaflet.
Nearly a quarter of motorists admit that they would always or sometimes drive even if they knew that the medicines they were taking may impair their driving ability.
4 in 10 firms do not require their employees to inform them if they are taking medicines which could affect driving ability.
Motorists believe that clearer warnings are needed about the effects certain medicines can have on driving ability and support police measures for roadside testing:
Over 7 in 10 motorists believe that ‘traffic light’ warnings – a visual system on bottles and packets to show whether a medicine could impair driving ability – would have a significant effect on their decision to drive. Only 1 in 10 motorists stated that it would have no effect.
A third of motorists believe the doctor who prescribes the medicine should have the main responsibility for warning them about the dangers of driving.
8 in 10 motorists would support the introduction of machines to test at the roadside for medicinal drugs liable to affect driving ability.
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