The Prime Minister has been urged to introduce mandatory alcohol interlocks for high-risk and repeat drink-drivers, after fresh analysis found the summer season to be when drink-drive collisions peak across the UK.
It comes after the RAC examined the Department for Transport data spanning 2014 to 2024 and found that August consistently recorded more drink-drive casualties and crashes than any other month, challenging the widespread assumption that December poses the greatest danger.
The call for so-called “alcolocks,” which prevent a vehicle from starting unless the driver passes a breath test, follows the summer weather increasing both the temptation and the risk of driving after consuming alcohol.
Over the 11-year period, August averaged 721 drink-drive casualties resulting from 485 collisions annually, with July close behind at 704 casualties from 474 crashes.
December, by contrast, averaged 663 casualties from 459 collisions, making it substantially lower despite being the month most commonly linked to drink-driving.
When the summer period of June to August was measured against the winter quarter of December to February, the disparity was stark.
Both casualties and collisions during the warmer months exceeded their winter equivalents by 16 per cent on average, the data found.
The most recent figures, from 2024, confirm that this long-standing trend has not improved, while June alone produced 650 casualties and 440 collisions, the highest monthly tally that year.
The use of alcolocks has grown in support to help crack down on drink-driving cases
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GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE/PA
Taken together, the three summer months accounted for 1,810 casualties and 1,220 collisions. The corresponding winter total was markedly lower, at 1,570 casualties and 1,060 collisions.
The persistent summer spike underscores the RAC’s argument that enforcement efforts and public awareness campaigns should not be concentrated solely around the Christmas period.
Longer evenings, holidays, outdoor festivals and barbecues all contribute to greater alcohol consumption during the warmer months, the organisation said, creating more situations in which people may choose to drive after drinking.
Simon Williams, the RAC’s head of policy, said: “Anyone who has drunk alcohol on a summer evening or weekend shouldn‘t get behind the wheel until they‘re absolutely sure they‘re safe to drive.
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“This advice is especially important as the UK experiences a summer that‘s so far been characterised by largely fine weather and, for some, successive heatwaves.“
The drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, and just 22 micrograms in Scotland.
Drivers caught breaking the rules can face a variety of penalties, including six months’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine, a £2,500 penalty or even a driving ban for at least 12 months.
Mr Williams also highlighted the compounding danger of fatigue, particularly for those struggling to sleep during hot spells.
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He pointed to repeat offending as a serious and persistent problem, noting that close to 27,000 drivers were convicted of drink-driving more than once during the 11 years examined.
The expert said: “Drivers strongly support alcohol interlocks, which require a convicted drink-driver to provide a negative breath test in order for their vehicle to start.
“We, alongside the Lock-Out Drink-Driving campaign, continue to urge the Government to allow courts to mandate them.”
The alcolocks would be fitted to offenders’ vehicles under court order, effectively barring them from driving unless they can demonstrate sobriety before each journey.