The morning after campaign planned to be run during September and October, hopes to catch the at home drinker leaving for work on Monday morning, still a beer over the limit, that's a vote winner for sure. With young drivers shrugging their shoulders and giving in to black boxes and restricting themselves, by choice, to be allowed the freedom to drive, their activities for drinking and driving seem to be less, if the report by ACPO is an accurate account of what is happening on our roads.
The statistics show that drink drive figures are falling, and of course they will, it has little to do with attitude amongst older drivers, who are significantly more complacent when it comes to having 'just one' before setting off in the car, and more to do with our economy. Any statistician worth their salt will see a pattern in the country's economy and drink drive figures.
Poor economy encourages us in to the pub, supermarket, garden party or barbeque, drown our sorrows? Cheap deals? More gatherings and less entertainment? Who knows what really motivates us despite many surveys and teems of research not one has actually hit it on the head, partially due to the fact that most drinkers do not think they are prone to having too many, although chocoholics tend to have the same outlook of denial too.
If drink drivers over 60 have the least amount of drink related accidents is that due to driving at a time of day which incurs less risk or does it mean that group are more educated when it comes to the risk. If the equivalent group of marginal speeders are to be used as a comparison, age is not the factor we are led to believe, it is down to attitude, personal experience and personal history. An older driver may appreciate consequence more, may be less concerned by the risk or have already been penalised for drink driving at a younger age. There is also the potential for an older driver to be travelling at an earlier hour than a younger driver.
The younger driver who drinks has fallen by 50%, as it has in other groups, however in the last couple of years our financial recovery has been on an upward slant, regardless of how small, with 2013 appearing to see the better rise in the economy, we must enjoy this short relief, before the purse strings are tightened to within an inch of their life, ready for the private tender auction.
Statistics can also make small figures look huge. Four percent of motorcyclists killed were over the legal limit, however with motorcyclists representing just about 1% of traffic, that's not exactly a big numerical statement. With less drink related accidents happening between 6am and 1pm, is the campaign really going to make a big difference. As an educational experiment maybe, but saving lives, I don't see it knocking the nail on the head.
For me the biggest shock was how many over 70's, predominantly male, who were over the limit. The essence of the campaign appears to target the younger driver, meaning under 30, yet if the summer campaign is anything to go by then it is unlikely to really enforce what seems to be a clear message, why have any legal limit at all, move into the suggested zero tolerance, it'd save a huge amount of money just from less campaign advertising, and man power which will free up sparse resources to spend on the areas where figures have been rising year on year, cyclists and the vulnerable road user.
A young driver is more likely to be pulled over at the side of the road, for multiple reasons, they display a driving error that is more evident, they will be trying harder to stay within the limit, which in itself attracts attention and their auto pilot driving skills are less perfect than an older driver. Yet even with this, the figures show a consistent fall in this group of abusers of the law.
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