Blackpool named in top three for drink-driving hotspots

Blackpool has been named as one of the country's hotspots for drink and drug driving offences.
Blackpool sits third in a league table for drink driving offencesBlackpool sits third in a league table for drink driving offences
Blackpool sits third in a league table for drink driving offences

A MoneySuperMarket survey reveals the postal areas and occupations that have the highest rate of convictions.

The analysis, which looked at over six million car insurance quotes run on MoneySuperMarket over the last 12 months, reveals that those living in Hereford have the highest number of drink and drug driving convictions at 2.3 for every 1,000 drivers.

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Crewe (1.86) and Blackpool (1.68) follow closely behind, while Sunderland, which last year took the top spot, has dropped to fourth place with a rate of 1.62 convictions per 1,000 people.

In terms of occupation, plumbers are most likely to get behind the wheel while under the influence, an increase of 17.26 per 1,000 since 20174. Students still remain in the top two, though numbers have decreased considerably since last year, from 28.48 to 5.93 per 1,000.

Scaffolders, ground workers and builder labourers are also amongst the top five with a greater likelihood of drink or drug driving. Despite this, the data from MoneySuperMarket reveals that the overall drink and drug driving rate has decreased by 29 per cent since last year, from 1.47 to 1.05 per 1,0005– though this trend doesn’t apply to 17-24-year olds, for whom rates have risen by 10 per cent.

Emma Garland, data scientist at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “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.”