Road traffic accidents caused by intoxicated drivers

The Road Traffic Collision Statistics annual report provides a statistical summary of injury road traffic collisions reported to the Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI).¹

Figures for 2004 show that there was one casualty due to alcohol every 14 hours.

The Road Traffic Collision Statistics annual report is available to download from the PSNI website at www.psni.police.uk.

Copies of the report and further information on road traffic collision statistics are available from:
Central Statistics Unit
PSNI Lisnasharragh
42 Montgomery Road
Belfast
BT6 9LD
Tel 028 9065 0222
Email: statistics@psni.police.uk

Figures for 2006 show that the consumption of alcohol or drugs by drivers or riders accounted for 10% of the 1,014 fatal and serious collisions. These collisions resulted in 18 deaths and 115 seriously injured casualties, and of these:

33% of casualties were aged between 16 and 24;
almost three quarters (71%) of casualties were male;
41% of casualties killed or seriously injured were passengers;
6% of casualties killed or seriously injured were motorcyclists;
3% of casualties killed or seriously injured were pedestrians.

The table below gives an overview of the number of road traffic collisions (RTCs) involving the driver of a vehicle or rider of motorbike who is intoxicated with alcohol or drugs.

RTCs caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, 1997-2006

Year	Total collisions	Killed	Seriously injured	Slightly injured	Total casualties
2006	283	18	115	376	509
2005	276	24	95	410	529
2004	298	30	124	452	606
2003	370	37	148	550	735
2002	385	28	168	631	827
2001	400	24	152	638	814
2000	466	43	178	768	989
1999	393	22	133	655	810
1998	389	28	159	638	825
1997	361	24	132	589	745
Source: PSNI

Road traffic casualties caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs by age, 2006

Age of road user	Killed	Seriously injured	Slightly injured	Total casualties
Under 16	0	9	14	23
16-24	10	41	118	169
35-34	2	32	112	146
35-44	3	21	77	101
45-54	2	4	31	37
55-64	1	5	15	21
65+	0	3	8	11
Unknown	0	0	1	1
Total	18	115	376	509
Source: PSNI

The following tables present figures for accidents and casualties from accidents involving intoxicated drivers/riders from each DCU for each of the last four years.

Injury RTCs caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, 2006

	2006
DCU	Fatal collisions	Serious collisions	Slight collisions	Total collisions	Fatal casualties	Serious casualties	Slight casualties	Total casualties
Antrim	1	1	2	4	1	5	3	9
Ards	0	3	15	18	0	5	23	28
Armagh	0	3	7	10	0	3	10	13
Ballymena	0	1	7	8	0	1	10	11
Ballymoney	0	0	1	1	0	0	1	1
Banbridge	0	1	4	5	0	2	5	7
Belfast East	0	3	5	8	0	3	10	13
Belfast North	0	6	23	29	0	8	66	74
Belfast South	1	1	6	8	1	2	11	14
Belfast West	0	5	18	23	0	6	36	42
Carrickfergus	0	2	7	9	0	2	11	13
Castlereagh	0	0	7	7	0	0	9	9
Coleraine	2	3	4	9	2	3	9	14
Cookstown	0	1	6	7	0	1	20	21
Craigavon	0	4	7	11	0	4	13	17
Down	0	6	2	8	0	9	8	17
Dungannon and South Tyrone	0	4	5	9	0	9	9	18
Fermanagh	3	2	9	14	6	8	15	29
Foyle	1	4	4	9	1	7	11	19
Larne	0	1	5	6	0	1	9	10
Limavady	0	3	6	9	0	4	9	13
Lisburn	1	3	11	15	1	7	23	31
Magherafelt	1	0	4	5	2	2	4	8
Moyle	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Newry and Mourne	0	2	8	10	0	4	13	17
Newtownabbey	1	5	4	10	2	5	6	13
North Down	1	2	9	12	2	2	16	20
Omagh	0	5	8	13	0	8	13	21
Strabane	0	3	3	6	0	4	3	7
Total	12	74	197	283	18	115	376	509
Source: PSNI

Injury RTCs caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, 2005

	2005
DCU	Fatal collisions	Serious collisions	Slight collisions	Total collisions	Fatal casualties	Serious casualties	Slight casualties	Total casualties
Antrim	0	0	8	8	0	0	10	10
Ards	1	5	8	14	1	9	13	23
Armagh	0	2	7	9	0	3	12	15
Ballymena	1	2	3	6	1	4	5	10
Ballymoney	2	3	1	6	2	4	4	10
Banbridge	0	2	3	5	0	3	13	16
Belfast East	0	3	10	13	0	3	16	19
Belfast North	0	3	21	24	0	4	46	50
Belfast South	0	2	12	14	0	2	27	29
Belfast West	0	1	12	13	0	1	32	33
Carrickfergus	0	0	5	5	0	0	11	11
Castlereagh	1	0	4	5	1	0	8	9
Coleraine	1	2	3	6	1	2	3	6
Cookstown	1	1	1	3	1	2	1	4
Craigavon	0	3	3	6	0	3	3	6
Down	1	2	14	17	1	3	28	32
Dungannon and South Tyrone	1	5	10	16	1	7	20	28
Fermanagh	2	4	7	13	2	6	17	25
Foyle	1	7	8	16	1	8	28	37
Larne	0	1	4	5	0	1	9	10
Limavady	1	2	6	9	2	3	16	21
Lisburn	2	3	8	13	3	3	12	18
Magherafelt	2	3	4	9	2	6	14	22
Moyle	0	1	2	3	0	3	2	5
Newry and Mourne	1	1	7	9	1	2	23	26
Newtownabbey	1	2	3	6	1	6	9	16
North Down	1	1	4	6	1	1	4	6
Omagh	2	4	4	10	2	4	12	18
Strabane	0	1	6	7	0	2	12	14
Total	22	66	188	276	24	95	410	529
Source: PSNI

Injury RTCs caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, 2004

	2004
DCU	Fatal collisions	Serious collisions	Slight collisions	Total collisions	Fatal casualties	Serious casualties	Slight casualties	Total casualties
Antrim	0	1	4	5	0	1	7	8
Ards	1	2	10	13	1	2	20	23
Armagh	1	3	6	10	1	11	11	23
Ballymena	0	3	3	6	0	3	11	14
Ballymoney	0	0	3	3	0	0	6	6
Banbridge	1	1	4	6	2	1	8	11
Belfast East	0	3	8	11	0	4	25	29
Belfast North	1	3	10	14	1	5	23	29
Belfast South	0	4	13	17	0	16	33	49
Belfast West	0	1	24	25	0	3	62	65
Carrickfergus	0	2	8	10	0	3	9	12
Castlereagh	0	1	3	4	0	2	6	8
Coleraine	2	3	5	10	2	3	14	19
Cookstown	0	1	3	4	0	1	5	6
Craigavon	0	3	11	14	0	4	18	22
Down	0	4	5	9	0	7	17	24
Dungannon and South Tyrone	2	2	4	8	2	4	7	13
Fermanagh	4	6	8	18	4	11	22	37
Foyle	2	1	13	16	2	4	25	31
Larne	2	3	5	10	3	6	12	21
Limavady	1	1	0	2	1	1	0	2
Lisburn	0	1	13	14	0	1	20	21
Magherafelt	0	3	8	11	0	5	14	19
Moyle	0	1	3	4	0	1	4	5
Newry and Mourne	5	7	6	18	7	11	11	29
Newtownabbey	1	2	7	10	3	2	26	31
North Down	0	3	8	11	0	4	17	21
Omagh	1	4	4	9	1	7	9	17
Strabane	0	1	5	6	0	1	10	11
Total	24	70	204	298	30	124	452	606
Source: PSNI

Injury RTCs caused by driver/rider intoxicated with alcohol or drugs, 2003

	2003
DCU	Fatal collisions	Serious collisions	Slight collisions	Total collisions	Fatal casualties	Serious casualties	Slight casualties	Total casualties
Antrim	2	7	6	15	3	11	18	32
Ards	2	3	16	21	3	7	37	47
Armagh	0	2	13	15	0	2	29	31
Ballymena	1	1	2	4	1	1	4	6
Ballymoney	0	2	5	7	0	2	7	9
Banbridge	2	1	6	9	2	1	12	15
Belfast East	0	0	15	15	0	0	32	32
Belfast North	1	4	16	21	1	4	34	39
Belfast South	1	3	11	15	1	8	19	28
Belfast West	2	7	26	35	3	12	76	91
Carrickfergus	0	3	5	8	0	4	11	15
Castlereagh	0	4	5	9	0	4	14	18
Coleraine	0	4	6	10	0	5	15	20
Cookstown	0	2	4	6	0	2	8	10
Craigavon	1	3	9	13	1	3	16	20
Down	1	5	5	11	1	5	13	19
Dungannon and South Tyrone	2	2	9	13	5	9	18	32
Fermanagh	0	8	7	15	0	8	15	23
Foyle	0	2	15	17	0	3	29	32
Larne	1	2	3	6	2	4	10	16
Limavady	2	0	5	7	2	3	8	13
Lisburn	3	8	24	35	3	18	52	73
Magherafelt	2	3	1	6	2	6	6	14
Moyle	0	3	4	7	0	4	8	12
Newry and Mourne	5	4	9	18	6	15	17	38
Newtownabbey	0	0	6	6	0	0	7	7
North Down	1	1	9	11	1	1	10	12
Omagh	0	2	8	10	0	2	16	18
Strabane	0	3	2	5	0	4	9	13
Total	29	89	252	370	37	148	550	735
Source: PSNI

Reference

PSNI. Personal communication. Belfast: PSNI, 2006.

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