Police have stepped up roadside breath tests following an increase in deaths caused by drunk drivers.

Police forces in England and Wales carried out 8% more breathalyser tests in 2022

Newly published data reveals forces in England and Wales breathalysed 249,542 motorists in 2022 – up 8% compared with the previous year.

Nearly 17% of drivers were found to be over the limit – similar to the previous two years.

In 2021, there were 260 deaths on Britain’s roads where a motorist was over the drink drive limit – the highest since 2009.

Department for Transport figures estimate a total of 6,740 people were killed or injured in drink drive accidents, with drunk drivers accounting for 17% of road deaths.

Hunter Abbott, managing director of personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense, said the clampdown on drink driving was the result an increase in the number of dedicated road policing officers.

He continued: “Home Office figures show there were 3,960 traffic officers by March 2023 – up 2% on the previous year.”

But he warned that breathalyser testing still lags way behind other European countries.

“In England & Wales, just five tests per 1,000 inhabitants are carried out. In Ireland, the figure is 18 per 1,000 population, whilst in France it’s 109.”

Other reasons for the increase in breathalyser tests in 2022 include traffic returning to normal levels following the Covid lockdown restrictions and the football World Cup in November and December.

Research shows that, at the current drink drive limit in England & Wales, you are 13 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than when sober.