Drink-driving fatalities at the highest level in a decade, figures show

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Fatalities caused by drink-driving is at the highest level in a decade, new figures have revealed.

According to the latest statistics, published by the Department for Transport, in 2022 it was estimated that between 290 and 320 people were killed in collisions in Great Britain where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit, with a central estimate of 300 deaths.

This is a 16% increase from the previous year.

Drink-driving fatalities

Overall, an estimated 6,800 people were killed or injured when at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit. This highlights an increase of 1% from 6,740 in 2021.

The RAC has reacted to the report, as they urge for the government to do more to reduce these “terrible statistics”.

RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said:

“While the number of people killed by drink-drivers is still thankfully far lower now compared to the final decades of the 20th century, the fact we’re back to a similar rate of fatalities caused by people drinking and driving as we were in the late 1980s is abhorrent.

“It’s abundantly clear that a hard core of people continue to put the lives of all road users at risk by choosing to get behind the wheel after consuming too much alcohol. This is the case across the UK, including in Scotland which has had a lower blood alcohol limit than in England and Wales since 2014.

“The UK might have an enviable record on road safety compared to many other countries, but there’s no getting away from the fact that overall casualty numbers aren’t really decreasing anymore.

“We urge the Government to work closely and collaboratively with experts to put in place a clear action plan for reducing these terrible statistics going forward. Every life lost on our roads is one too many.”

“The data for Scotland suggests merely reducing the legal drink-drive limit isn’t enough.

“Drivers need to be prevented from being able to drink and drive in the first place, or at least believe there’s a very good chance of being caught.

“Data suggests a significant number of drink-drive offences are committed by reoffenders, so there’s a good case for fitting alcolocks which stop someone over the limit from starting a car. But there’s also a very strong argument for an increase in enforcement, something that will always be a challenge for as long as police resources are tight.”

Demographics

The report has broken down the age, location sex and gender of those involved in drink-drive collisions.

Location

The percentage of all casualties which occurred in drink-drive collisions was the highest in Wales at 7.9% followed by Scotland at 5.5% and England at 4.9%.

Within the English regions, the casualty rates varied from 7.2% in the East Midlands to 2.7% in London.

Sex

In 2022, 79% of drink-drive collisions involved male drivers or riders over the legal alcohol limit. Some collisions will involve both male and female drivers over the limit, and sex is unknown for some drivers.

However, males made up 70% of drivers (excluding pedal cyclists and horse riders) involved in all collisions where the sex of the driver is known.

In 2022, 68% of casualties in drink-drive collisions were male compared to 62% in all reported road collisions.

Age

A higher proportion of casualties in drink-drive collisions were aged between 25 and 59 than in all reported collisions in 2022 (64% in drink-drive collisions compared to 57% in all collisions). The same was true for people aged 16 to 24 (23% in drink-drive collisions compared to 20% in all collisions).

Older people (aged 60 and over) represented a lower proportion in drink-drive collisions than collisions overall (8% in drink-drive collisions compared to 15% in all collisions). Children (under 16) also were less likely to be casualties in drink-drive collisions (5% compared to 9% in all collisions).

I was involved in a car accident, can I make a claim?

If yourself or a loved one has been involved in a road traffic accident, you may be entitled to claim compensation for any damage or injuries incurred.

At Oakwood Solicitors Ltd, we can advise and guide you through the process, to ensure you claim back any compensation you are entitled to.

What can I claim for?

Personal Injury

If you have been injured as a result of a car accident, you may be entitled to claim compensation. It is generally accepted by medical professionals that an injury can occur in a car accident even at speeds as low as five miles per hour.

If you find that following a car accident you start to experience any symptoms, we would recommend that you seek medical attention.

Common symptoms experienced following a car accident are:

Neck, back and shoulder stiffness and aching
Pins and needles in the arms, hands, legs and feet (paraesthesia)
Headaches
Bruising to the chest and abdomen (often caused by the seatbelt tightening)
Soft tissue injuries affecting the limbs
Stress, travel anxiety, heightened awareness, nervousness as a passenger and nightmares

Symptoms following an accident can often feel worse early in the morning or late in the evening. They can often initially deteriorate before you see signs of improvement.

If your symptoms persist, we recommend you return to your GP and discuss the different forms of treatment that are available, such as physiotherapy or acupuncture.

It is important that your injuries are documented in your records. This will help to support the fact that you have been injured and reduce the risk of the third-party insurers disputing the facts when making a claim.

You also have a legal duty to mitigate your losses. This means that you must try to keep your losses to a minimum. This extends to trying to take steps to reduce the level and duration of your symptoms to keep the level of compensation to a minimum too.

If you do not seek medical attention/treatment and it is later deemed that by doing so, the level of your injuries and their duration could have been reduced, the level of compensation that you are awarded could be negatively affected after your accident claim.

Other claims

Aside from being able to make a claim for personal injury, we can assist you in recovering the following types of expenses:

Damage to your motor vehicle – This could be the cost of the repairs, or pre-accident value of the vehicle if it is deemed a total loss.
Policy excess – Subject to evidence of the loss, this can be claimed from the third-party insurers.
Medication costs – Subject to receipts, this is recoverable from the third-party insurers, providing that it is deemed that it was necessary to incur the expense.
Treatment costs – As long as it was reasonable that treatment was incurred and caused by injuries sustained, we can recover this from the third-party insurers. Future surgery may be recommended – if so, we can obtain suitable quotations and seek the funding for that surgery upfront.
Loss of/damage to clothing and personal effects – These can become damaged in an accident. Whether it be torn clothing or a broken electronic device, we would always recommend keeping the item as evidence and taking photographs in case third-party insurers want to see it. If you purchase a new item to replace it, keep the receipt.
Lost earnings – Unable to work due to injury? We can claim this from third-party insurers. Wage slips or profit and loss accounts can be used to calculate the loss. The accident may have affected your ability to work in the future – subject to medical evidence, a claim can be submitted to third-party insurers.
Travel expenses – We are able to include travel expense claims. This may be trips to physiotherapy, doctor or hospital appointments, taxi or bus fare, or petrol expenses.
Vehicle diminution – Your car may have lost market value due to being damaged and repaired. We can recover this loss for you by obtaining a specialist engineer’s report. Read information about vehicle Diminution here.
Care and assistance – It may have needed to employ someone to assist with gardening, cleaning, cooking, washing or personal hygiene. Whether this was from a professional, a family member or a friend, this can be claimed from the third-party insurers, subject to medical evidence. The same may apply to future care and assistance.
House alterations – Your injuries may be substantial enough to warrant alterations to your home. Whether this is widening doors or fitting ramps or handrails, these costs can be recovered if medical evidence states that it was necessary.
Hire charges – If you have paid for a hire vehicle, we can recover the cost of this for you from the third-party insurers. Sometimes it is possible to arrange a credit hire vehicle for you whilst your own is out of action.
Any other expenses – You may have paid for postage and phone calls, or have some pension entitlement. Whatever you feel you have incurred, we are happy to discuss this further with you to explore whether it is something we can assist with during the claims process.

Who can make a Road Traffic Accident claim?

There are many different types of road traffic accidents you can claim for. Some of the common scenarios are:

A driver or motorcyclist injured in a road traffic accident that wasn’t their fault
A passenger travelling in a vehicle – car, bus, coach or motorcycle – that becomes involved in a road traffic accident
A pedestrian, cyclist or horse rider hit by a car or other vehicle.

How long do I have to make a claim?

You have three years to claim for a road traffic accident in the UK. But the sooner you seek legal advice, the quicker and easier it is to prepare your claim.

What evidence do I need?

At the time of the accident, it is advisable to collect as much evidence as possible. It is also important to keep any receipts or proof of expenses caused by the accident in a safe place as these may be reimbursed.

This may include photos of car damage, dashcam footage, medical expense receipts, and contact details of any witnesses. You should also report the accident to the police as a non-emergency if anyone is injured, you believe a crime was committed, or you didn’t exchange details at the scene.

You should also report the accident to your insurance company as soon as possible.

What information should I take from the other driver?

If the other driver has stopped and your vehicle is in a safe location, you will need to exchange personal information with the other driver. We would always recommend that you try to take the following details after an accident:

The other driver’s name and address
A contact telephone number for the other driver
The vehicle registration of the third-party car
The name of the third party’s insurance company
The policy number for the third-party driver’s insurers

What should I do next?

If you have been involved in a road traffic accident, contact Oakwood Solicitors Ltd today to find out how we can help you.

Oakwood Solicitors Ltd has been dealing with personal injury claims caused by car accidents since 2001. Many of our solicitors and paralegals have been with us for over ten years, having already had experience when they started with us.

We deal with claims that range between one thousand and hundreds of thousands of pounds, many of which will involve extensive claims for various kinds of expenses.

When you instruct Oakwood Solicitors, you can expect a friendly, down-to-earth approach, together with an extensive knowledge of the field which will be used to fight tenaciously with the insurers to achieve the maximum level of compensation possible for your claim.

We are able to act for you on a ‘no-win, no-fee’ basis, meaning that there is no risk to you, and you will not be charged if your driver or passenger claim is unsuccessful.