Organisation: Department for Transport
Date of Publication: February 2022
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre: 1 March 2022
This publication presents provisional estimates of casualties arising from reported accidents involving at least one motor vehicle driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit for driving, in Great Britain in 2020. Figures are derived from the STATS19 forms completed by the police, plus toxicology data for road fatalities from coroners and procurators fiscal. Final 2020 estimates based on more complete data will be published in July 2022.
Provisional estimates for 2020 show that between 190 and 250 people were killed in accidents in Great Britain where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit, with a central estimate of 220 deaths.
The provisional estimate of fatalities for 2020 is broadly in line with the last few years, and the reduction from 2019 is not statistically significantly different at the 95% confidence level.
The central estimate of 220 deaths is the lowest since 2015, though the overall number of reported road accidents also fell in 2020 as a result of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, so that drink-drive deaths were a higher percentage of the total than in the previous year.
Access the statistical bulletin via the gov.uk website: