Safety warning to drunk pedestrians

Almost half of all pedestrians killed in road crashes between 10pm and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays are more than twice over the drink-drive alcohol limit, it has been revealed.

The Government figures, published by the RAC Foundation, come out on the day that new late-night licensing laws are introduced.

Of pedestrians in the 25-29 age group who died in road accidents last year and who were known to have alcohol in their blood, two-thirds were over the drink-drive limit and almost half were twice over the limit.

In 2004, a total of 301 killed pedestrians were found to have blood alcohol concentration. Of these, 38% were over the drink-drive limit and 25% more than twice over the limit.

The foundation also expressed its concern that total alcohol-related deaths on the roads are on the increase. Provisional estimates for last year suggest that 590 people were killed, compared with 580 drink-drive-related deaths in 2003.

In response, the RAC Foundation is calling for more traffic police to target drink drivers and better road safety awareness for drinking pedestrians.

Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the RAC Foundation, said: "Most of us are well aware of the problems of drink driving, but little is said about the perils of drunk pedestrians.

"It is worrying to see the rising numbers of young pedestrians killed after drinking and the rises in fatalities who had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. Heavy intoxication must be a contributory factor in pedestrian accidents.

"Many of those pedestrians killed had made a sensible, laudable and informed choice not to take a car while they were drinking and were acting within the law. But drunken pedestrians leave themselves open to injury or death because their condition means that they are not in a fit state to consider the road safety dangers.

"New methods will need to be employed to highlight the potential dangers to drunken pedestrians. People going out drinking need to think carefully about how they will get home."

Daily Mail ~ 24/11/05