§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many alcohol-related accidents occurred in Wales in 1997; what percentage of total road accidents they represent; and if he will make a statement. [27972]
§ Ms Glenda JacksonIn 1995, the most recent year for which estimates of drink drive accidents are available for Wales, there were an estimated 540 personal injury, alcohol-related road accidents. They represent 5% of all personal injury road accidents in Wales in that year.
The estimate of alcohol-related accidents includes those accidents in which one or more of the drivers or riders of motor vehicles involved refused to give a breath test specimen or failed either:
- (i) a breath test by registering over 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, or
- (ii) for fatalities, a blood test by registering more than 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
For some accidents neither of the above test results are available even though a driver or rider involved was over the legal limit. The Department's estimates are, therefore, adjusted to allow for this.