The number of drivers killed with at least one impairment drug detected in their system increased by more than 70% between 2014 and 2022, new DfT stats show.
The statistics, published on 25 July, are the first of their kind – and follow several years of development work from the road safety statistics team at the DfT.
They are based on data supplied by coroners following toxicology reports.
The data shows that in 2022, there were 185 drivers killed in reported road collisions where at least one impairment drug was detected.
This compares to 106 in 2014 and 171 in 2021.
It is however lower than the peak of 208 reported in 2018.
The DfT says it should be noted that these figures are very likely to be underestimates of the actual number of drivers with drugs detected, as there are cases where data is not available, either because coroner data was not provided or a toxicology report was not available.
The report also notes that the drug driving increase could reflect changes to testing, including proficiency.
For example, in 2022, 618 deceased drivers were tested for drugs – compared to 684 in 2018.
This means that in both years, the percentage of deceased drivers where impairment drugs detected – and a toxicology report provided – was 30%.
In terms of the total number of casualties in reported road collisions where at least one deceased driver had an impairment drug detected, the 2022 figure stands at 203 – compared to 117 in 2014 and 190 in 2021.
The DfT writes: “This release summarises initial work towards developing statistics on levels of drugs in drivers and riders involved in reported road collisions, based on data from coroners related to those killed in road collisions.
“This is an update of the initial feasibility study first produced in 2021 with data up to 2019. This update adds drug data for 2022 to the report.
“We welcome feedback from users on the next steps to inform further development.”
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