Shropshire Star

Telford named as 10th worst place for drink and drug driving

Telford has been named in the top 10 worst places for drink and drug driving convictions.

Published

Figures from the last year show that in the Telford area, 1.47 in every 1,000 drivers have been convicted for drink or drug driving offences.

This sees the borough come in as the 10th worst area after previously not making an appearance in the list.

Superintendent Paul Moxley of West Mercia Police said: "Enforcing the drink drive law is a 24/7 commitment for West Mercia Police and local conviction levels reflect our proactive and targeted policing activity to improve the safety of our roads for everyone who uses them.

"Our message is very simple, if you don’t want a drink drive conviction, don’t drink and drive. If you do, there’s a very high chance that you will get caught by one of our officers.

"We are very aware that the festive period can present opportunities where people are tempted to drive under the influence and we will be increasing our enforcement activity over the coming weeks to combat this.

Analysis

"Our officers will be enforcing the law at all times of day and night, on all roads across Telford & Wrekin, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire."

The analysis, which looked at more than six million car insurance quotes between November 1, 2017 and October 31, 2018, shows that male plumbers are the most likely candidate to be convicted.

An increase of 17.26 per 1,000 drivers since 2017 sees plumbing as the most likely occupation for people to get behind the wheel under the influence, followed by mature students, scaffolders, ground workers and builders.

The data also reveals that men are more than twice as likely to drink and drug drive as women, while the total number of convictions for women has halved over the last year.

Hereford, which also comes under West Mercia Police's enforcement area has the highest number of convictions in the country, with 2.3 in every 1,000 drivers being convicted.

Despite this, the overall drink and drug driving rate has decreased by 29 per cent since last year, from 1.47 to 1.05 per 1,000 drivers – although the rate has risen by 10 per cent for 17 to 24-year-olds.

Toyota, Fiat and Porsche owners have significantly reduced their drink and drug driving conviction rates in the last 12 months, with each nearly halving the number of of convictions.

Emma Garland, data scientist at MoneySuperMarket, which conducted the research, said: “With Christmas parties and festivities coming up, there is more chance of people getting behind the wheel under the influence as they may not realise how much alcohol they’ve had.

"Driving the next morning while unknowingly still over the limit is also a key factor, especially for those who may have particularly early starting times, such as labourers and plumbers.

"However, it’s reassuring to see that convictions have decreased since last year and hopefully they will continue to do so year on year.

“Drink or drug driving can be damaging not only to your licence, but also to yourself and others - so if you are doubting your sobriety, don’t put yourself or others at risk by driving, even if it seems like an inconvenience at the time.”