Revealed: Britain's drink and drug driving hotspots

Will the place you live appear in the top 10?

According to new figures, the area which tops the table for drink and drug driving offences in the UK is Sunderland, whilst conviction rates throughout the country have increased overall.
In Sunderland, it was found that nearly three out of every 1,000 drivers had some kind of conviction for drink or drug driving.
Compared to last year’s figures, the conviction rates so far this year are on the up.
The research was carried out by MoneySuperMarket.com, who analysed seven million car insurance quotes to gather their information.

Revealed: Britain’s drink and drug driving hotspots © Copyright Jaggery and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

From their analysis they discovered that 2.91 drivers in Sunderland have a conviction for drink or drug driving, whilst 2.6 out of every 1,000 drivers in Truro had been convicted and 2.53 drivers in Coventry had been caught by the police for either a drink or drug related offence.
At the opposite end of the scale and quite surprisingly it was the UK’s capital that had the lowest rates, with only 0.59 drivers convicted for drink or drug driving out of every 1,000 motorists. It also turned out that other areas of London came in as six of the 10 places that had the lowest rates of conviction.
According to the comparison website’s findings, it’s male license holders who are most likely the ones to be caught driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
Across the nation, 1.68 men per 1,000 had a conviction, whereas just 1.2 women per 1,000 did. However, both male and female figures have risen compared to those from 2016, where 1.39 men and 0.92 women were found to have been convicted for a drink or drug driving offence.
The survey also found that drivers aged between 25 and 29 were the drivers most likely to have been caught for driving whilst over the limit – 3.32 out of every 1,000 drivers between these ages had applied for an insurance quote and stated they had a conviction.
In comparison, only 0.21 per 1,000 drivers aged 65 or over had a conviction related to drink or drug driving and just 0.25 drivers aged between 17 and 19 had been caught under the influence of drink or drugs whilst behind the wheel.
“There are serious consequences if you’re caught drink or drug driving, including a driving ban of at least a year and an unlimited fine, as well as a possible jail sentence of up to six months. If you’re in any doubt about your sobriety, don’t drive,” said Kevin Pratt from MoneySupermarket.
The UK’s top 10 drink and drug driving hotspots: