The number of motorists caught drunk behind the wheel in Wales topped almost 3,000 last year and research finds motorists are being caught out the morning after they have been drinking.
According to new Freedom of Information data obtained by Confused.com 2913 motorists in Wales were caught drink drinking in 2018, up from 2679 in 2017. In particular, South Wales saw the worst of the issue and is the drink-drive capital of the region. In total, 1795 motorists were caught by the local police in 2018.
Although, it seems not all motorists are being pulled over after a boozy night out. Further research conducted by Confused.com found that more than a third (34%) of UK drivers have still felt over the limit the morning after drinking. Of these, nearly one in four (24%) claimed they still drove because it was the morning after and they thought they would be fine. And of those who have been caught drink-driving at some point, more than one in seven (15%) said they were caught between 6am and 12pm.
Although it seems there is a lot of confusion around how long you must wait after a good night’s sleep before safely driving. According to the survey, nearly one in five (18%) motorists are confused about how long they must wait before driving the morning after drinking.
To clear up any confusion, Confused.com has released a ‘morning after calculator’.
The calculator shows just how long I can take for alcohol to wear off. Users can tally up just how much booze they drank the night before, and the calculator will estimate how long they should wait to be safe to drive.
In particular, the data reveals July to be one of the most prolific months in 2018 for drink-driving offences. Almost 3,500 motorists were caught drunk-behind the wheel throughout the month. That equates to 113 drivers per day, on average. December tops the list with more than 4,000 drunk drivers recorded over the festive season.
It is no surprise that the summer months see more drink drivers, given more than one in four (27%) UK drivers claim they are more likely to have a drink when the sun is out. And with many more festivals lined up over the coming months, no doubt there will be many hungover drivers on the roads. And it is because of this that many people avoid driving.