One in five drug users admit driving under the influence

Date: 28/9/2012

Official statistics show that drug users are nearly twice as likely to drive a vehicle while under the influence as those who drink alcohol.

Figures released by the government show that nearly one in five people who use drugs in the UK have admitted to driving while being intoxicated, reports The Guardian.

In comparison, less than one in ten alcohol drinkers have driven their car or other vehicle under the influence of the substance.

Some 15 per cent of the deaths recorded on the roads in 2011 occurred while the driver was under the influence of alcohol.

Robert Gifford, Head of PACTS, the Parliamentary Road Safety Advisory Group, said that is was harder to find out the actual statistics for drugs due to their illegality in the first place.

He said: "Because they're illegal, we haven't had the emphasis on how they impair judgment. It's quite difficult for government to talk about the effects without appearing to condone them in the first place."

The figures show that road deaths in the UK increased by three per cent overall last year, which has brought an end to a period when road safety improved year-on-year.

It has been suggested that motorists with less available cash have put off essential maintenance on their vehicles, which may have resulted in the decline in the road safety record.

In 2010 there were 18 deaths caused as a direct result of illegal tyres, but just a year later 28 such fatalities were recorded.

Mr Gifford said: "We know mechanical failure is rare but in a recession people are likely to keep their cars longer and not keep them properly maintained."

Darren Lindsey, Head of Public Affairs at Michelin highlighted the importance of keeping tyres up to the standards which are set out by law.

He said: "Standards are in place for a reason; tyres are the only part of a car in contact with the road and faulty or illegal tyres mean that drivers are putting the safety of both passengers and other road users at risk."

Posted by Sarah Bailey

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