Why testing for alcohol is essential for improving road safety
Last year 1,754 people lost their lives on the roads of Great Britain, while 23,039 people were seriously injured; of the fatal incidents, around 280 involved a driver over the legal alcohol limit. Despite high-profile media campaigns and efforts to change how people view drink-driving, 14% of road deaths in the UK still involve at least one over-the-limit driver; therefore, it is tragically clear that more still needs to be done.
Why low-level drink-driving persists
While there is little doubt that drink-driving now has negative associations in the minds of the vast majority of people, a 2007 study by Davies+McKerr showed that the issues of perception are complex. The study found that men from lower middle-class and skilled working-class backgrounds made a distinction between drink-driving, when they had failed to make alternative plans for occasions when they were likely to be over the limit, and drink-driving when unplanned events unfolded. They said the second instance was ‘more forgiveable’, and blamed the circumstances rather than themselves.
A further study by Collins et al in 2008 found that most people associate drink-driving with driving while heavily intoxicated, rather than being close to, or just over, the legal limit. The same study also highlighted the fact that individuals believe they have a low risk of being caught when they are within, what they define as their own safe limit, which is often above the legal one.
The fact that individuals feel they are unlikely to be caught is one of the main reasons why so many responsible people – across all social groups – take the risk of driving after drinking. Effective substance abuse testing can play a key role in reducing drink-driving instances by cementing the idea that individuals who drive when under the influence of alcohol are likely to be caught.
The Centre for Public Health Excellence at NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) conducted a study review and found that the introduction of visible, random breath tests in Australia led to an ‘immediate, substantial and permanent’ reduction in accident rates in three of the four states studied; in addition, the report concluded that drivers had to believe that they were likely to be detected and punished for breaking the law in order to lower the chances of them getting behind the wheel after drinking.
The solution?
The legal blood alcohol limit in the UK is currently 0.08%. While there is no easy way to reduce the number of drink-drive incidents, the evidence suggests that continued efforts to change public perceptions towards low-level drink-driving are required, along with a programme of increased, visible alcohol testing. The NICE study also highlighted the fact that individuals with a blood alcohol consumption level of between 0.02% and 0.05% were three times as likely to die in a road accident. With this in mind, a government-commissioned review of the current laws in 2010 recommended lowering the legal limit to 0.05%; however, as yet, no further action has been taken.