by
Autonet Insurance
| Aug 04, 2010
Although there has been a slight drop in the overall number of people caught drink-driving, more motorists below the age of 25 have been found ignoring the legal alcohol limit in England and Wales.
A summer crackdown by police in England and Wales found that more than one in every 20 young drivers are taking to the road over the limit.
Out of 27,147 motorists breath-tested, some 1,746 young drivers were found to be over the limit - a rate of 6.4% compared with 5.9% in 2009.
Drink-driving could lead to an increase in the number of road accidents, resulting in more car insurance claims.
Meanwhile, there is a slight decline in the overall proportion of motorists getting behind the wheel drunk - falling to 5.6% from 5.8% last year. Some 5,652 drivers tested positive out of the 100,853 people checked.
Also, the count of people who failed a field impairment test for drugs dropped from 33% last year to 22% in 2010.
Official figures will be released on Thursday detailing the toll of death and serious injuries caused by drink-drivers.
Government ministers have been urged to cut the drink-drive limit by nearly half in a report by Sir Peter North.
His review said reducing the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg would save hundreds of lives.
© Press Association 2010