Insufficient public transport fuels drink driving in North Wales

The lack of adequate public transport in North Wales could be a factor in the region’s high incidence of drink-driving charges.

An investigation conducted by the Press Association found that more drivers in rural areas were charged with drink driving, with the second-highest incidence of charges in the UK recorded by North Wales Police.

According to the investigation, 783 people faced drink-driving charges in North Wales between January and May 2017, a rate of 11.2 charges for every 10,000 people.

Dyfed Powys Police recorded the fourth-highest incidence, with police issuing 9.56 charges per 10,000 individuals. The worst rate occurred in Lincolnshire, with 14 charges per 10,000 people.

Convicted drink drivers receive a minimum 12-month driving ban, with fines that can range as high as £5,000. They can face between six months to life in prison if they kill someone while drink driving.

The Press Association data has led to calls for improved public transport options in rural sectors and alerts to drivers not to drive after drinking during the holiday period.

North Wales Assembly Member, Mark Isherwood said, “Whilst drinking and then driving over the limit can never be excused, poor transport links in rural and semi-rural North Wales are certainly not helping matters.”

Edmund King, the president of AA, concurred that insufficient public transport could be a contributing factor to drink driving in rural areas. He noted that the decreasing availability of buses and restrictions on services would tempt people who own vehicles to drive to celebrations during the festive season.