UK's new drink-driving capital revealed
Hereford has been named and shamed as the UK’s drink-drive capital, according to new data.
Figures show that motorists in the West Midlands cathedral city are more likely to have a drink or drug-driving conviction than anywhere else in the country.
A review of six million car insurance quotes over the last 12 months found an average 2.3 of every 1,000 motorists living in Hereford have been caught over the limit.
And with Christmas party season just around the corner, police officers will be ramping up their crackdowns on such dangerous driving.
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According to the figures, Crewe now has the second highest number of motorists with drug-driving convictions, having been labelled as the UK’s drink and drug drive ‘capital’ for the last three years.
For every 1,000 motorists in the Cheshire town, there are 1.86 drivers who have been convicted of driving over the legal limit, with Blackpool, Sunderland and Newport rounding off the bottom five.
At the other end of the scale, motorists in London are least likely to have a drink or drug-driving conviction, with postcodes in the capital taking up five of the 10 places with fewest offenders.
Galashiels is the non-London postcode with the lowest number of convictions, at 0.62 per 1,000, just pipping Bradford, Perth and Cambridge according to the data from Money Supermarket.
| Most convictions | Least convictions |
|---|---|
| 1. Hereford - 2.30 in every 1,000 | 1. NW London - 0.45 in every 1,000 |
| 2. Crewe - 1.86 in every 1,000 | 2. North London - 0.56 in every 1,000 |
| 3. Blackpool - 1.68 in every 1,000 | 3. East London - 0.61 in every 1,000 |
| 4. Sunderland - 1.62 in every 1,000 | 4. SW London - 0.61 in every 1,000 |
| 5. Newport - 1.58 in every 1,000 | 5. Galashiels - 0.62 in every 1,000 |
| 6. Cardiff - 1.52 in every 1,000 | 6. Bradford - 0.66 in every 1,000 |
| 7. Llandudno - 1.51 in every 1,000 | 7. Perth - 0.66 in every 1,000 |
| 8. Liverpool - 1.50 in every 1,000 | 8. Cambridge - 0.67 in every 1,000 |
| 9. Darlington - 1.48 in every 1,000 | 9. West London - 0.67 in every 1,000 |
| 10. Telford - 1.47 in every 1,000 | 10. Luton - 0.68 in every 1,000 |
Department for Transport (DfT) figures show that an estimated 9,040 people were either killed or injured in drink-drive related collisions in 2016 alone, a year-on-year rise of 7%.
But despite the dangers posed by drink and drug-driving, motorists are still choosing to break the law, with the run-up to Christmas a particularly busy period for police forces looking to catch offenders.
Speaking in 2017, RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said anyone choosing to drink before getting behind the wheel “may just be about to ruin someone else’s Christmas, as well as their own.”
He added: “The dangers of drink-driving are truly horrific and should never be underestimated. Never have the words ‘it’s better to be safe than sorry’ been more appropriate.”
Copyright Press Association 2018. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.
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