UK drink-drive deaths rise to 300 a year in ‘dangerous upward trend’

Department for Transport data reveals highest number of deaths due to drink-driving since 2009

Deaths due to drinking and driving on UK roads have increased to 300 annually, a 13-year high, according to newly published government data.

There were an estimated 300 deaths where at least one driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit in 2022, the latest year for which official figures are available, the Department for Transport said. This is the highest annual figure since 2009, a toll motoring organisations described as “abhorrent” and concerning.