Eight-in-10 drivers want tougher measures for drink-driving

Eight-in-10 (82%) UK motorists think tougher measures are needed to tackle drink-driving, according to new research from the RAC’s 2025 Report on Motoring.*

The large majority calling for action follows the latest Government statistics showing the number of drink-driving fatalities has risen to its highest level since 2009, accounting for a fifth (18%) of all road-related deaths.** Government figures also show drink-drive deaths are up 7% in a decade, with an estimated 260 to 300 people losing their lives every year as a result of drink-driving.***

Of the four-in-five (82%) that stated more needs to be done, more than two thirds (68%) said so without being made aware of the number of road casualties involving illegal alcohol levels. When shown the statistics, a further 14% expressed support for extra penalties and / or stricter legislation. 

Interestingly, overall support for more being done to tackle drink-driving rose to 88% among the under-25s and 85% among those aged 25 to 44 – the age groups which the RAC’s research shows have the greatest propensity to break drink-driving laws. The consensus was only slightly smaller for those aged 45 to 64 (82%) and dropped to three-quarters (77%) for drivers older than 65. 

The proportion of drivers who admit to having been in control of a vehicle while under the influence also appears to be nearing pre-pandemic levels. The figures show 7% of drivers think they have driven while over the limit on the night they consumed alcohol, while a further 5% said they’d done so the morning after. Both figures are the highest they’ve been since 2019, when 12% admitted to driving on the night they’d drank and 10% believed they had the morning after – and both up from the 10% that said they’d driven over the limit in 2024. 

The trend seems to be most common among younger drivers, with a rising proportion of those under 45 admitting to getting behind the wheel shortly after drinking. Almost a fifth of under-25s (18%) say they have driven when over the limit on the same night they consumed alcohol – up from 15% in 2024 – while the rate in those aged 25 to 44 has increased from 8% to 14% this year. 

The number of respondents who know or suspect they have been in a car with a drunk driver has also doubled in the space of 12 months, from 8% in 2024 to 16% this year. Four-in-10 (40%) respondents under the age of 25 said the same, up sharply from 28% last year. In the 25-to-44 age group the percentage is 31% compared to just 14% in 2024.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “The fact a huge majority of drivers support more being done to tackle the scourge of drink-driving, coupled with the long-term trend of more lives being lost to this entirely preventable crime, sends a clear message to the Government ahead of the publication of the first Road Safety Strategy in over a decade.

“Our figures show more people are prepared to get behind the wheel after having one too many drinks, with the number admitting to doing so at its highest since 2019. What’s more, there’s also been a rise in those who think they’ve been a passenger in a vehicle being driven by someone they suspect was over the limit. With our numbers only being a representative sample, this could well be just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of drunk drivers on the roads. 

“While drink-driving casualties were down slightly in 2023 compared to 2022, the longer-term picture shows we’re heading in the wrong direction, with rates now at their highest since 2013. It’s unacceptable that 260 people lose their lives every year to this crime.  

“We’re eagerly awaiting the Government’s Road Safety Strategy which we hope will lay out tougher measures to address this growing problem. 

“One solution we’re in favour of is courts being given the power to mandate the fitting of alcohol interlocks (‘alcolocks’), which prevent offenders starting their cars without first providing a negative breath test. These devices offer a practical and globally proven way to stop drink-drivers reoffending and make our roads safer. Drivers’ support for alcolocks is overwhelming, with 82% telling us they want to see offenders have to have them installed.” 

The RAC is founding supporter of the Lock Out Drink-Driving campaign which is calling on the Government to introduce a mandatory alcolock programme for high-risk and repeat offenders. 

MP for Blackpool South Chris Webb, who is supporting the campaign, said: “My constituents, and everyone across the country, should be able to enjoy the festive period with their loved ones without fear that their journeys home could be made unsafe by a small number of careless and dangerous drink-drivers. 

“That is why the new Lock Out Drink-Driving campaign’s call for alcohol interlock technology is well timed to raise the profile of potentially life-saving technology. There is no excuse for repeat drink-drivers to be able to continue to get behind the wheel intoxicated. The safety of our roads must be a priority for everyone.”

^{* Research for the RAC Report on Motoring was carried out from 4-21 April 2025; 2,395 drivers. Results rim-weighted to be nationally representative of UK motorists} 

^{** Department for Transport, Reported road casualties in Great Britain involving illegal alcohol levels: 2022 - the latest road casualty statistics available at the time the Report on Motoring analysis was conducted}

^{*** Department for Transport, Reported road casualties in Great Britain involving illegal alcohol levels: 2023}