The number of motorists who failed or refused a breath test in Wales during 2015 fell to its lowest level.
A BBC News report on 3 February shows that 4,800 people were caught drink-driving in 2015, the first time in 14 years that the number of convictions was below 5,000. The 2015 figure is also the third successive annual fall from the 2012 high of 7,900.
Insp David Cust, North Wales Police believes the fall is down to a more targeted approach to enforcement.
In terms of police forces, South Wales Police had the highest number of failures in 2015 with 1,800, followed by North Wales Police who recorded 1,700 offences. Dyfed-Powys Police detected 1,000 offenders, while Gwent Police recorded 400.
Insp David Cust told the BBC: “We are using our intelligence and information from the public to look at our patrols and put them in the right areas at the right time.
“The drink drive message is getting across and the figures are encouraging, however, we can’t be complacent as the drug (driving) figures are going up.”
An annual report published by the Welsh Government on 9 February show that in 2015, 7.1% of all drivers and 14.3% of motorcyclists killed in traffic collisions were above the drink drive limit. 8% of KSI collisions during 2015 involved drivers who were impaired by alcohol.
The Welsh Government figures show that drivers are 2.8% more likely to test positive at the weekend.
Want to know more about drink driving and road safety?
Key facts and summaries of research reports – visit the Road Safety Observatory
Online library of research and reports etc – visit the Road Safety Knowledge Centre
It would be handy to know how many roadside breath tests have been administered over recent years, and in what areas. My cynical self thinks that the enormous reduction in the numbers caught drink/driving over a 5 year period is much more a consequence of having fewer Police, than a change in drivers’ habits brought about by a more targetted approach to policing.
David, Suffolk
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