Durham tops list of New Year’s Eve DUI arrest increase areas

Durham has emerged as the constituency with the largest increase in driving under influence arrests on New Year’s Eve, a new Freedom of Information request has discovered.

With the number of arrests up by 250 per cent in 2018-2019 over 2017-2018, Durham comes in above Merseyside and Gwent which saw respective increases of 200 per cent and 160 per cent.

In contrast, South Yorkshire was the region which saw the biggest decrease in New Year’s arrests for driving under the influence, with a fall of 53 per cent over the same period. This was followed up by Humberside and Cambridgeshire which both saw drops of 50 per cent.

In addition to a Freedom of Information request, carwow polled 2,000 people to find out about their attitudes to how drivers would like DUIs to be dealt with. One in five believed that drink driving could be effectively policed via in-car technology, with 38 per cent agreeing that cars should be fitted with anti-drink driving technology as a legal requirement.

However, only 17 per cent would be willing to pay extra for the technology to be fitted to their own car.

Vix Leyton, motoring expert at www.carwow.co.uk, commented: “As we edge towards the always hectic Christmas and New Year period, those burdened with the role of ‘designated driver’ may feel pressure from friends, family and colleagues to indulge in a tipple or two despite their motoring responsibilities. Driving under the influence of even a small amount of alcohol is inexcusable, with potentially life-threatening consequences for not only yourself but others.

“Similarly risking driving the next day after a heavy night can also be dangerous as your judgement and reaction times can still be impaired. While technology is in development to ground drivers who have had one too many, the most meaningful change that can be made immediately is encouraging responsible decision making before your car key is even in the lock.”