More under-25s are caught drink-driving

More than one in every 20 young drivers was caught over the limit when stopped by police across England and Wales.

A total of 1,746 young drivers tested positive out of 27,147 checks, a rate of 6.4 per cent compared with 5.9 per cent last year.

But overall figures showed the proportion of motorists found over the legal alcohol limit has fallen slightly. Of the 100,853 people stopped and breath-tested, 5,652 tested positive or refused to take a test. The 5.6 per cent rate compared with 5.8 per cent last year.

Meanwhile, the number of people who failed a field impairment test to check for drugs also fell from just over a third (33 per cent) last year to 22 per cent in 2010.

Official figures will be released today detailing the toll of death and serious injuries caused by drink-drivers. Government ministers have been urged to cut the drink-drive limit by nearly half in a report by Sir Peter North.

His review said reducing the limit from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg would save hundreds of lives.

He also recommended that the current mandatory 12-month driving ban should be maintained for a new 50mg limit.

A 50mg limit would bring Britain into line with most of Europe. Combined with a 12-month ban it would be one of the toughest drink-drive regimes. Gwent Chief Constable Mick Giannasi, of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said: "It is estimated that the cost of each fatal collision is 1.9m and of a serious injury collision 188,000."

AA president Edmund King said: "Hot summer nights, barbecues and the World Cup are no excuse for this reckless behaviour. Although the numbers tested for drug-driving are relatively low, the fact that over a fifth were deemed unfit to drive is frightening."