Young drink-drug driving 'endemic'

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Driving while under the influence of a cocktail of drink and drugs is not uncommon among young motorists, a survey has shown.

According to research from road safety charity Brake and companies 3M and Alcosense, as many as 18 per cent of drivers aged 17-25 said they got behind the wheel after drinking.

Mary Williams, Brake chief executive, said: "There is frightening evidence that drink and drug driving is endemic among a significant proportion of our new generation of drivers, which bodes very ill for the future."

Around 7 per cent of motorists in the 17-25 group admitted to driving on illegal drugs and, of these, nearly all (84 per cent) said they drove "on a cocktail of drink and drugs".

Of more than 4,000 people aged 17-25 who travel as passengers with young drivers, 23 per cent said they had been in a vehicle with a young drink or drug driver.

The survey also revealed that about half of young people polled underestimated the length of time alcohol or drugs stayed in the system.

As many as 39 per cent of the young motorists who admitted drink/drug driving also said they had crashed while at the wheel.

This compared with a figure of 10 per cent for crashes involving young drivers who do not drink or take drugs before taking the wheel.

Of those who admitted driving under the influence and then having a crash, 73 per cent were male.

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