Shrewsbury among worst towns in UK for drink-driving rates

Drivers in Llandrindod Wells was declared the worst in the country, while Shrewsbury was named eighth worst.

Insurance broker MoneySuperMarket.com analysed 11 million motorists as part of the study.

It revealed the UK postcodes with the highest rates of drivers with drink or drug-driving convictions on their car insurance policies.

The study found that Llandrindod Wells, in Powys, has the highest proportion of motorists with offences for drink and drug-driving. Almost two people per 1,000 in the town have been convicted of an offence within the LD postcode.

The SY postcode for Shrewsbury had the eighth highest rate of convictions per 1,000 drivers, with 1.7 convictions per 1,000 people.

The legal limit in the UK for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

A conviction will lead to a driving ban – and when returning to driving, insurance premiums will rise by an average of £350 a year.

Kevin Pratt, car insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket, said the figures were released ahead of the Christmas period.

He said: "All right-minded people understand that drink or drug-driving is wrong – and wrong on so many levels.

"First and foremost, an intoxicated driver puts the lives of others at risk, whether they are drivers, pedestrians or passengers in his or her own car. Then there is the massive financial and social impact that a conviction can bring, from paying a fine to putting your job on the line to struggling to get affordable car insurance at subsequent renewals."

Supt Lee Davenport of West Mercia Police today welcomed the figures as an appropriate warning to motorists of the dangers of drinking and taking drugs before driving.

He said: "Cracking down on those who take drugs or drink and then drive is a year round commitment for both forces.

"Despite our many warnings about not driving if you've had a drink, there are still far too many irresponsible drivers ignoring the devastating consequences that drinking and driving can cause for them, their family, friends and other road users.

"Anyone who drives after they have been drinking is gambling not only with their own lives, but also with the lives of their passengers and the lives of other road users."

A further breakdown of car insurance convictions found motorists in their early twenties aged 20 to 24 are the most likely to have a drink and drug conviction on their licence and that male motorists are more than twice as likely to offend as women.

Peter Rodger, chief examiner with the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said:"It's nearly 50 years since breathalysers were introduced yet incredibly there are still people drink-driving and putting lives at risk. Motorists have to face the consequences of their actions. The message is really simple. If you are driving, don't drink at all. If you are drinking, don't drive at all."