Drink driving linked to dozens of crashes in Hertfordshire last year

Drink driving was linked to dozens of crashes resulting in death or injury in Hertfordshire last year, new figures reveal.

Department for Transport data shows drivers or riders impaired by alcohol contributed to 63 crashes in Hertfordshire last year.

The figures, which report contributory factors for incidents as recorded by police, also show 15 people affected by illicit or medicinal drugs.

Officers can record one or more causes for any vehicle incident where someone suffers even a slight injury. These do not have to involve cars and may include a cyclist falling over or a motorbike colliding with a pedestrian.

A driver or rider could be marked as being impaired by alcohol or drugs if police believe their behaviour directly caused or contributed to the accident, whether over the legal limit or not.

A total 1,462 incidents recorded in Hertfordshire had contributory factors in 2019 – alcohol was linked to 4 per cent of these, while impairment through drugs was reported in 1 per cent.

Inspector Peter Scholes, of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Road Policing Unit, said: “When you drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it is clear you have no regard for the safety of yourself or those around you.

"Drink or drug driving will not be tolerated, and anyone found driving under the influence will face the full force of the law in the form of arrest and prosecution.

“Officers are always patrolling the roads to ensure they are safe and anyone caught drink or drug driving could face a 12-month driving ban, a large fine and a criminal record.

"These consequences could be far worse if you are involved in a collision as a result of being under the influence.”

The Scottish Government reduced the alcohol limit for drivers from 80 milligrammes (mg) per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg in December 2014, but the legal level in the rest of the UK remains 80mg.

Road safety charity Brake called the persistence of dangerous behaviour on the roads "deeply concerning" as it renewed calls for a zero-tolerance stance on drink and drug driving nationally.

Joshua Harris, Brake's director of campaigns, said the presence of drink and drug driving on the roads is concerning but "all too predictable".

"We know that any amount of alcohol impairs driving, and yet the Government persists with the highest drink-drive limit in Europe in England, Wales and Northern Ireland," he said.

"We urge the Government to introduce an effective zero tolerance drink-drive limit, providing much-needed clarity to all drivers that if you drink, you must not drive."

Transport committee MPs announced this month that they are considering a no-alcohol limit for new drivers under the age of 25 in a bid to curb the number of casualties on the roads each year.

The most common contributory factor in Hertfordshire was drivers and riders not looking properly, listed in 46% of incidents, followed by failing to judge the other person's path or speed (27 per cent) and being careless, reckless or in a hurry (20 per cent).

Different figures show 25 people were killed and 420 seriously injured on the area's roads last year.

This was lower than in 2018, when police recorded 26 deaths and 444 serious injuries.

Total casualties, which include slight injuries, fell from 2,882 to 2,738 over the period.

Mr Harris said the "decimation" of roads policing over the past decade has left the UK unable to reduce its high levels of dangerous driving.

"We welcome the Government’s Roads Policing Review, which will help coordinate roads policy and enforcement and urge the Government to ensure that the police are provided the investment they need to enforce the rules of the road effectively," he added.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said statistics show road casualties are the lowest they’ve been for 40 years, and that the number of deaths has also reduced.

She added: “While this news is encouraging and while we have some of the safest roads in the world, this Government will continue to work tirelessly to ensure our roads are made even safer still."