Welsh drivers are among the best behaved behind the wheel and less likely to drink and drive than risk takers in London, according to a survey by IAMRoadsmart.
The areas of the country where revellers could be most likely to indulge in the wrong kind of Christmas spirit this festive season, by drink-driving, have been revealed by IAM RoadSmart.
The UK’s leading independent road safety charity commissioned a survey which asked 1,004 motorists about the maximum number of alcohol units they would have at a party or event, and still drive home. Shockingly, over four-in-ten (41 per cent) of respondents stated that they would drink anywhere between one to ten units of alcohol, and still get behind the wheel.
Of the people who said they would drink and drive:
- nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) said that they would drink 1-3 units;
- nearly one-in-three (30 per cent) admitted that they would drink 4-6 units;
- alarmingly, 7 per cent (29 people) declared that they would have 7-10 units, with 6 of these people saying they may even drink in excess of this.
The survey also discovered that the probability of drinking and driving varies around the country. Londoners were most likely to drive after consuming alcohol, with a staggering eight-in-ten (77 per cent) residents of the capital saying that they would drink alcohol and then drive.
Of the Londoners who admitted to driving while under the influence of alcohol:
- one half (52 per cent) said they would drink anywhere between 4-6 units of alcohol; and
- over one-in-ten (12 per cent) confessed that they would consume 7-9 units of alcohol.
Worryingly, both of these amounts are over the legal drink-drive limit, which is measured by breath-alcohol level through a breathalyser test.
This typically stands at approximately three units for women and four units for men, but also depends on a range of factors such as body weight, levels of hydration and whether the motorist has recently eaten.
Ranking second-worst on the drink-drive standings were residents of East Anglia, with over half (53 per cent) of drivers from this region saying that they would drive after drinking alcohol.
Meanwhile, East Midlanders and those from the North East of England were next on the drink-drive ‘naughty list’, with 46 per cent and 45 per cent of motorists from these regions respectively declaring that they would drive while intoxicated from alcohol.
Interestingly, it was residents of Scotland, who face more stringent drink-drive laws, who were found to be the least likely to drink-drive, with only one-in-four drivers (26 per cent) north of the border saying that they would drive while under the influence of alcohol.
Furthermore, Northern Irish and Welsh motorists both ranked in the top four best behaved regions when it came to drink-driving, with 67 per cent and 62 per cent of drivers from these countries respectively revealing that they would not drink alcohol before driving.
