Ending Drunk Driving in the United Kingdom

intoxicated driving United KingdomMeasures are being proposed in the United Kingdom to bring the drunk driving problem under control. There is still a long road ahead of the United Kingdom before the problem will no longer be an epidemic, but the government and its affiliated health organizations are implementing positive strategies that aim to make the roads of the United Kingdom a safer place to drive. The primary initiatives include but are not limited to the following:

  • The integration of new laws. It is well recognized that when people perpetually break a law, it means they do not have a great deal of respect for it. By creating harsher legislation to penalize drunk driving, there is more incentive for people to find an alternative way of commuting other than driving. The United Kingdom is attempting to model its drunk driving laws after other countries that have had success with their DUI laws, such as the United States and Canada.
  • Strong enforcement of these new laws is vital to ensuring that they are taken seriously. Drunk driving laws are enforced by an increased police presence during common drunk driving hours as well as random check stops along popular drunk driver commute routes. Every jurisdiction that has tightened up their drunk driving laws, publicly campaigned for them and properly enforced them has seen a significant decrease in the number of drunk driving charges.
  • It is only logical to take measures that aim at reducing alcoholism and substance abuse, which is the root cause of drunk driving problems. Every case of drunk driving is an instance of alcohol abuse. This means that the United Kingdom needs to increase the presence of addiction, substance abuse and alcoholism treatment in the form of counseling and rehab, as well as local community resources such as support groups and shelters.
  • It is important that all of these new measures be properly communicated to the public. This is its own kind of campaign and effort. Information needs to be distributed through the media and through public bulletins making citizens aware that changes to laws and local resources have been made. This way the public can implement change into their own thinking as well.