The oldest person caught drink driving in the UK was a 100-year-old man - followed by a 95-year-old woman. New data from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has given a sobering insight to the country's problem with drink driving.
The figure show that four times as many men have had their records endorsed for alcohol-related motoring offences as women in the past five years. The data, obtained by Select Car Leasing, found that 152,956 men had their records endorsed with either driving or attempting to drive with an alcohol level above the legal limit or driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink, compared to 38,157 women in the last five years.
The legal alcohol limit for driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. A 100-year-old man holds the title of Britain’s oldest drink driver, with a 95-year-old woman the next oldest, HullLive reports.
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There were 492 aged between 80-89, 3,432 between 70-79 and 11,012 aged between 60-69. The youngest person in Britain to have their record endorsed for either of those offences was a 15-year-old boy, despite him not being old enough to hold a licence.
Graham Conway, Managing Director of Select Car Leasing, said: “Getting behind the wheel while impaired by drink or drugs is never acceptable, no matter what age you are.
“It’s no secret that our ability to drive is often affected as we grow older – our eyesight perhaps isn’t what it was and our reactions become slower. Drivers have a responsibility to be fully in control when taking to the road and failing to uphold that can have grave consequences.”
In 2020, 220 people were killed by drink drivers according to figures from the Department for Transport (DfT). This is an 11-year high, accounting for more than 15 per cent of fatalities on the roads – up from 13.1 per cent the previous year. A total of 6,480 people were killed or injured in drink drive accidents in 2020, the most recent year for which figures are available.
Mr Conway added: “Many experts have linked this to an increase in alcohol intake during the Covid pandemic, as people found themselves unable to mix with friends and families. Whatever the reason, we sincerely hope this worrying trend is dramatically reversed over the next few years.”
There is no maximum age for holding a driving licence in the UK, but it has to be renewed every three years after you reach the age of 70.
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