One hundred drivers a day have had drink-drive endorsements added to their licences in the past three years, according to new research from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.
Figures obtained via a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA show there were 108,000 drink-drive related endorsements added to individual licences between 2022 and 2024.
In terms of age, the stats show young professionals aged 25-39 years are the worst offenders – with some 48,000 endorsements. They are closely followed by 40,000 ‘midlifers’ aged 40-65 years.
This compares to 15,000 drivers aged 17-24 years, and just 3,000 in the over 65s category. The oldest person to receive a drink-drive endorsement (DR20) was 91 when this was added to their licence in 2023.
Motorists who are caught drink-driving will automatically lose their licence and may end up with a prison sentence and an unlimited fine. The endorsement will remain on their licence for 11 years, and a second offence in ten years will lead to an extended disqualification.
The figures have led to concern that people underestimate the impact drink driving has not only on people’s safety but also on their finances and career.
Further research from IAM RoadSmart also suggests that the cost of drink-driving has risen to potentially £80,000, up 15% on previous research the charity conducted five years ago.
This consists of the loss of 15 months’ worth of salary equal to £46,800, legal fees of £13,600, fines costing up to £5,000, public transport costs of up to £2,500 and a £13,700 in increased insurance premiums while the endorsement remains on the individual’s licence over the course of 11 years.
Nicholas Lyes, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards, said: “Drink-driving is a dangerously reckless act that puts other people’s lives at risk. The fact that there were 1,860 killed or seriously injured in a drink-drive related collision in 2023 – the equivalent of five people a day – should be sufficient deterrent. But for some, the consequences might only dawn on them when they realise the wider cost.
“We hope that by calculating the potential cost to the individual, would-be law breakers will at the very least consider the impact on themselves and think twice before getting behind the wheel after a drink; it could end up being a very expensive pint if it puts you over the drink-drive limit. When you think about it, the cost of a cab is very little by way of comparison.”
The upcoming Road Safety Strategy, due to be published later this year, looks set to include plans to lower the drink drive limit.
Under the plans being considered, the drink-drive limit in England and Wales could be cut from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.
This figure would be in line with Scotland, which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014, and much of the rest of Europe, where no other country has a limit as high as that in England and Wales.
Nicholas Lyes added: “We welcome plans to reduce the drink-drive limit and hope that it would prompt behavioural change with many not risking having a drink before driving.
“We know from delivering drink-drive rehabilitation courses to offenders, that many people struggle to calculate how many units they have had to drink, and whether they will be under the limit when they get behind the wheel. So many factors are at play, such as weight, age, metabolism and even stress levels, that you can never really be sure just what effect alcohol is having on your body.
“What we need is a shift in mindset, and lowering the limit and boosting enforcement would help send the message that having none for the road is best.”
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