More than 1,300 drink-drivers caught in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2017

More than 1,300 drink-drivers were caught in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2017.
A policeman with a breathalyser.A policeman with a breathalyser.
A policeman with a breathalyser.

New Freedom of Information data, obtained by Confused.com, revealed total of 1,379 motorists in the region were caught driving over the legal alcohol limit in 2017.

Humberside Police recorded the most offences for the year with 899. Nationally, 41,041 UK drivers were caught drunk behind the wheel in 2017.

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Further research by the driver savings site suggests that motorists should also be on the lookout for boozy drivers while the sun is out.

More than two fifths of motorists in Yorkshire & the Humber admitted to driving after having an alcoholic drink, with almost half doing so during the summer.

Amanda Stretton, motoring editor at Confused.com, says: “Sun and alcohol is a dangerous cocktail, and it clearly has encouraged drivers in Yorkshire and the Humber to jump behind the wheel after having a drink or two.”

To prevent motorists from taking the risk and driving while still drunk, Confused.com has created a ‘morning after calculator’.

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It allows users to input their drink of choice, how many glasses they have had, and when they stopped drinking, to estimate when their body will be free of any trace of alcohol.

Amanda Stretton added: “We know that it can be hard for motorists to calculate how many units they’ve had, and how long they have to wait until they can drive. So we’ve created a morning-after calculator to give drivers a rough idea as to how much alcohol is still in their system, and how long it typically takes to leave their body.”

She added: “To avoid getting caught out, we suggest drivers stop drinking early if they know they have to get behind the wheel in the morning, but the best advice would be to avoid drinking alcohol at all.”

So far, 2018 is on course to be a boozier year, with 13,614 offences recorded between January and April, compared to 13,408 over the same four months in 2017.

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Research by Confused.com suggests drivers find drink-driving to be more of an issue over the summer months, with almost half (45 per cent) believing the hot weather encourages people to drink more alcohol.

More than a third (37 per cent) said that motorists are more likely to drive after having an alcoholic drink when the sun is out. And, one in eight of UK drivers said they have had an accident or near-miss caused by drink-driving.