Autumn is worse than Christmas for drink-drive casualties

Should the traditional Christmas anti-drink driving campaign kick off in autumn instead? Quite possibly, following analysis of road traffic accident data from the Department for Transport by law firm Simpson Millar. 

It found that from 2021 to 2022, there were more alcohol-related collisions and casualties on the roads in the months of September, October and November than in the festive period.

Simpson Millar says its study challenges common perceptions about driving when drunk, and underscores the importance of year-round vigilance. 

According to the firm’s analysis, September and November are “deceptively dangerous” months. “In the last year,” it says, “September saw 390 collisions resulting in 600 casualties, higher than December’s 380 collisions and 550 casualties. Similarly, data from the last 12 years shows that November is one of the worst months for drunk driving, with 9,970 collisions and 6,650 casualties, outpacing December.”

The firm also looked at the times drivers are most likely to drive drunk – or encounter another drunk driver on the road – and 11pm is the peak time for accidents with alcohol recorded as a factor, although numbers are high from 10pm to midnight. 

There are also sobering stats around the regional variations, with the South East standing out as the most dangerous area for drunk driving, ahead of the East of England. Over the last 12 years, the pair have recorded more than 13,000 and 8,000 alcohol-related collisions respectively.

Government awareness campaigns around drink driving have for many years been primarily focused on the Christmas period. Police forces, too, often operate random stops in the party season, during which they’re entitled to breathalyse drivers they suspect may be under the influence of alcohol. 

Yet with official figures showing drivers are three times more likely to be breathalysed over the festive period than in the months leading up to Christmas, the data suggests that more should be done at other times of the year if resources are to be allocated correctly.

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