Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeB1972
If you look at the UK stats the big change is in the years 2007-2010 where the % dropped by 7.1,13.8,12.5 & 16.7 respectively.
So it looks like the main drop in the UK rate is due to getting points on your licence for using a mobile (Used to be just a fine prior to this). Unless anyone can think of anything else that happened in 2007 - smoking ban in pubs possibly.
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Possibly a change in social attitudes to drink driving? I know that in my younger days it was illegal, but not regarded as "wrong", to have a few drinks and then drive home from the pub. These days most people would regard anyone convicted of drink driving with disgust.
In the 10-year period from 2004 to 2013 (the latest available data), alcohol-related road accident fatalities more than halved:
2004: 580
2005: 550
2006: 560
2007: 410
2008: 400
2009: 380
2010: 240
2011: 240
2012: 230
2013: 240
The big reduction occurred between 2007 and 2010, which fits in with your dates.
Source:
Reported drinking and driving statistics tables, produced by the Department for Transport
If you look at the
corresponding data for the US, there appears to have been no appreciable reduction in the same time period.