New study reveals the most dangerous areas in England and Wales for drink driving

Cambridgeshire named as the most dangerous area in England and Wales for drink driving.

Devon and Cornwall rank as the safest area.

Over 252,000 alcohol breath tests issued in England and Wales in the latest report.

The most dangerous regions in England and Wales for drink drivers have been revealed in a new study. 

The team at International Drivers Association have compared the latest GOV UK data, looking at the number of breath alcohol tests in each region (by police force), as well as the percentage of those which were positive. A total of 252,069 alcohol breath tests were recorded in England and Wales in the latest report.  

The data was then organised from highest to lowest to reveal which regions had the highest percentage of positive tests. 

Let’s take a look at the results: 

Police Force  Region  Percentage of positive breath tests (including refused)  Number of breath tests  Number of positive breath tests (including refused) 
Cambridgeshire  Eastern  33.5  7,437  2,488 
Gloucestershire  South West  26.8  7,238  1,943 
Leicestershire  East Midlands  24.5  3,906  958 
Suffolk  Eastern  24.4  3,045  743 
West Midlands  West Midlands  24  7,568  1,813 
Avon and Somerset  South West  23.7  7,830  1,855 
West Yorkshire  Yorkshire and the Humber  23.7  7,072  1,676 
South Yorkshire  Yorkshire and the Humber  23.6  4,200  990 
Wiltshire  South West  23.3  2,044  476 
Greater Manchester  North West  20.9  10,278  2,148 

Cambridgeshire is most dangerous region in England and Wales for drink driving, with the highest percentage of positive alcohol breath tests. 33.5% of tests were positive, or 2,488 out of 7,437.

Gloucestershire is the second most dangerous region for drink driving.1,943 of their 7,238 alcohol breath tests being positive, or 26.8 per cent. 

In third place is Leicestershire, which had 24.5 per cent of their alcohol breath tests being positive, whilst Suffolk had 24.4 per cent.  

Also, on the list with the highest percentage are West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.  

The study by International Driving Association also compared the areas in England and Wales with the lowest percentage of positive alcohol breath tests: 

Police Force  Region  Percentage of positive breath tests (including refused)  Number of breath tests  Number of positive breath tests (including refused) 
Devon and Cornwall  South West  11.3  10,687  1,205 
Lincolnshire  East Midlands  11.4  4,693  536 
Hampshire  South East  11.7  9,320  1,090 
North Wales  Wales  11.9  8,698  1,033 
Surrey  South East  12.1  5,136  622 
Essex  Eastern  12.3  7,850  963 
Cumbria  North West  12.5  3,720  464 
Sussex  South East  13.3  6,465  862 
Cleveland  North East  13.3  2,961  394 
Cheshire  North West  13.5  7,012  945 

Devon and Cornwall are the safest areas in England and Wales for drink driving, with 11.3 per cent of alcohol breath tests being positive, or 1,205 out of a total of 10,687.  

Lincolnshire took second place as the safest region , with 11.4 per cent, whilst Hampshire is third with 11.7 per cent.  

Also, on the list includes North Wales, Essex and Cheshire.  

A spokesperson from International Driving Association said: “Drink driving should never be encouraged, and our research shows the areas in England and Wales which are the worst offenders when it comes to breathalyser tests.

“The legal alcohol limit in England and Wales for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. However, there is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you’ve eaten and other factors. 

“If you’re driving, it should be recommended that you don’t drink any alcohol at all, as alcohol can seriously alter your ability to judge speed or distance, and slow your reaction, meaning you are more likely to be involved in a collision.”