Driving While Intoxicated in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom drunk drivingDrunk driving in the United Kingdom has historically been a major problem. This region of the world has a reputation for alcoholism and substance abuse problems, and this epidemic is transferred onto the road safety statistics of the region. In recent years, there has been an outcry for a stronger enforcement of sober driving, as well as a stronger alcoholism treatment network in the United Kingdom. The tourism industry has even felt the effects of the drunk driving problems in the UK as tourists express concerns over driving on the same roads that other drivers, who are obviously intoxicated, are driving on. Advancements are slowly being made to end drunk driving charges and reduce road fatalities. Currently, the challenges that law enforcement, government and health organizations face is illustrated in the statistics below:

  • In the United Kingdom, approximately 85-percent of drunk driving charges are issued to men. Women are much less likely to drive drunk.
  • Currently, there are approximately 92,000 drunk driving charges issued per year in the United Kingdom, which is an improvement on the drunk driving crisis of the 1980’s that resulted in nearly 120,000 drunk driving charges per year.
  • Currently, there are approximately 22,500 drunk driving fatalities that take place in the United Kingdom annually. This is an immense improvement on the 37,500 fatalities that were caused by drunk driving in the latter part of the 1980’s. Although there is still a great deal of fatalities to eliminate, this does show gradual improvement.

Progress is being made, however, the people living within the United Kingdom and those visiting it have naturally expressed safety concerns over vehicle travel. The government and its health organizations are responding with initiatives to come up with harsher drunk driving laws, diligently enforce said laws, make alcohol less available for sale and offer more in the way of alcohol addiction treatment. New legislation and health initiatives are currently being drawn up and tested to combat this lethal and pervasive problem of drunk driving in the United Kingdom.

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Are the Roads in the United Kingdom Safe?

United Kingdom safe roadsThe world is becoming familiar with the problem of alcoholism in the United Kingdom. This region is known for its strong draw to alcohol through culture and tradition, and with the music and party scene stronger than ever in the United Kingdom, the problem of alcoholism is steadily increasing. It is estimated that drunk driving is responsible for as much as 40-percent of all road deaths around the globe. Considering the United Kingdom’s drinking culture, driving through the area is a legitimate concern. Are the roads in the United Kingdom even considered safe to drive?

Fortunately, alcohol related road deaths in the United Kingdom have been on the decline over the last several decades. In the late 1980’s, the United Kingdom was experiencing a crisis of drunk driving charges that totaled nearly 115,000 per year between England, Wales and Scotland. Presently, the numbers are closer to 93,000 per year, which is not a drastic decrease but a slight alleviation of the problem. The number of fatalities over the same span of years has decreased at a much more drastic rate. In 1988, there were 38,000 documented drunk driving fatalities, while in the present day, the number is closer to 22,000. 90-percent of drunk driving charges are given to males.

While it is encouraging that drunk driving statistics in the United Kingdom have stopped rising, the charges and fatalities on the roads of the region are still shocking. Much of the drunk driving issue is blamed on the ever-present drinking culture that exists in England, Wales and Scotland. Alcohol rehabs and treatment centers of the United Kingdom are making an effort to reach out to alcoholics so that they can be connected to necessary treatment, but there is still much change that needs to take place. If you are a person struggling with alcoholism in the United Kingdom, know that there are numerous treatment options available to you and addiction experts eager to help you to the road of recovery.

Alcoholics in the United Kingdom should seek addiction treatment without hesitation. There are a number of rehabilitation facilities located in London, Birmingham and Leeds. Many United Kingdom residents even choose to travel outside of the U.K. for addiction treatment. In the United States, world class rehabs can be found in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. In Canada, treatment is available for addiction in Edmonton, Vancouver and Montreal.