Worst areas for drink/drug-driving in Lancashire revealed as 5,000 arrested in the last three years
A new investigation has revealed the most prolific drink/drug-driving areas in Lancashire, with nearly 5,000 drivers arrested in the last three years.
Lancashire Police have arrested just under 5,000 drink/drug-drivers in the last three years, with 1,531 made in the last year alone, a new investigation has revealed.
New data obtained by law firm Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests has found that in Lancashire between December 2021 and November 2024, police have made 4,948 drink/drug-driving arrests. Of those, 69 per cent on average resulted in a charge or summons.
It follows calls from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) for a reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit for UK drivers after the latest figures from the Department for Transport revealed drink-driving deaths have risen to 300 a year - a 13-year-high.
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Out of 34 UK Police Forces that responded to Legal Expert’s Freedom of Information request within the deadline, Lancashire police reported the sixth-highest number of drink/drug-driving arrests over the past three years.
Lancashire Constabulary also revealed the most prolific areas for drink/drug-driving in the last year.
Blackburn came out on top with a total of 1,703 arrests made in 2023/24.
It is followed by Preston where 1,445 drink and drug-drivers were nabbed. A further 1,275 arrests were carried out in Blackpool as well as 524 in Lancaster.
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The most common age group for those caught driving while under the influence in Lancashire last year was between 31-40, accounting for 32 per cent of the figures, closely followed by 21-30 year-olds which made up 27 per cent. .
What’s more, a staggering 80 per cent of drink/drug-drivers in the region last year were male.
The findings follow the latest data released by the Department for Transport in 2024 revealing that UK drink-driving deaths have hit a 13-year-high.
There were an estimated 300 deaths where at least one driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit in 2022, the latest year for which official figures are available. This is the highest annual figure since 2009.
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The number is 16 per cent higher than in 2021 and means drink-drive fatalities accounted for about 18 per cent of all deaths, bucking the general long-term trend for safer roads and more responsible driving.
Last month, January 14, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) Addictions and Substance Misuse leads and their Roads Policing counterparts jointly backed the British Medical Association’s (BMA) call for a reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers.
Joy Allen and David Sidwick, APCC leads for addictions and substance misuse, along with Sarah Taylor and Marc Jones, APCC leads for roads policing, said: “Too many families have been devastated by the consequences of drink driving, with around 300 people dying each year in collisions where a driver is over the limit.
“Even minimal alcohol consumption can significantly impair a driver's judgment and their ability to react quickly. If we are to save lives and make our roads safer for everyone, we must get across the message that any amount of alcohol before driving is dangerous.”
RTA Specialist at Legal Expert Tracy Chick added: “It is deeply concerning that drink-drive-related deaths have reached their highest level since 2009. Anyone who drinks and drives is putting the lives of all road users at risk.