The proportion of motorists in England and Wales failing police breath tests increased last year to its highest level for three years. However, according to Police drink driving figures, officers carried out fewer tests overall.
Almost 6,000 drivers tested positive for alcohol in 2014, 4.39% of the total – the highest percentage since 2011.
According to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), drivers under 25 were most likely to fail.
Of the 133,996 breath tests carried out, 5,885 were failed. The failure rate was 6.33% among the 28,228 drivers under 25 tested.
Whilst some may find the figures surprising, according to Chief Constable Suzette Davenport:
“The use of an intelligence-led approach by officers may give the impression, through our figures, of members of the public not taking seriously the consequences of driving under the influence, but I am confident that our messages on the topic are getting through.
“Targeted testing is helping officers to pick up on offending in a more efficient way.”
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