There are certain titles that no town or city would wish to be known for – and unfortunately for Crewe, it has taken an auspicious “honour” for the second successive year.
That’s because the CW postcode has been revealed as the area with the highest proportion of motorists with drink or drug-driving convictions. According to research by Moneysupermarket.com, the railway town tops the list with a rate of 1.66 convictions per 1,000 drivers. However, in more positive news, the overall rate of drink and drug-driving has actually fallen for the second year running, with the postcode with the highest rate of conviction tumbling from 1.74 per 1,000 in 2015, to 1.66 per 1,000 this year.
It’s not just Crewe that will be hanging its head in shame at the results, however – as Welsh residents may also be feeling a touch red-faced when they see the number of Welsh postcodes to feature in the top 10: Llandrindod Wells (LD), Newport (NP), Swansea (SA), Cardiff (CF) and Llandudno (LL) are all on the list. Elsewhere, Blackpool (FY) and Plymouth (PL) also both feature and the highest new entrant is Hereford (HR), which now sits at number three, having avoided the top 10 altogether last year, with a rise from 1.4 to 1.52 convictions per 1,000 drivers.
At the other end of the scale, London dominates the list of postcodes with lower conviction rates. The postal area of North West London boasts the lowest rate of drink or drug-driving convictions, with just 0.53 convictions per 1,000 drivers, while five other London postal areas feature in the bottom 10: North, East, South West, West and South East. Outside London, Essex’s Ilford (IG) also features in the bottom 10, as do Luton (LU) and Bradford (BD).
The statistics are of interest to insurers and brokers, of course, because drivers who have a drink or drug-driving conviction will typically see their premiums shoot up by around £470 at renewal, which exceeds the cost of some drivers’ total car insurance bill.
Younger drivers are leading the way when it comes to staying safe behind the wheel. The conviction rate for drink or drug-driving is the lowest among 17 to 19 year olds, with just 0.28 convictions per 1,000 drivers, compared to a far higher rate of two per 1,000 for drivers aged 25 to 29. Additionally, the analysis found men are most likely to get behind the wheel while under the influence, with an average rate of 1.31 convictions per 1,000 male motorists, versus just 0.73 per 1,000 for women.
Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at MoneySuperMarket, said: “Most people rightly view drink and drug-driving as totally unacceptable but our analysis shows a small minority are still getting behind the wheel while intoxicated,” commented Kevin Pratt, consumer affairs expert at Moneysupermarket.com. “This could be because they forget alcohol can stay in the system for a long time after the party is over, leading to their being convicted the following morning when they think they are sober.
“What’s more, an endorsement for drink or drug-driving will sit on your licence for 11 years and you’ll have to declare the offence when you apply for car insurance for five years. The message is clear: if you’re in any doubt about your sobriety, don’t drive.”
Below are the tables showing the highest and lowest amount of offences over the last two years, courtesy of Moneysupermarket.com.
Regional breakdown of highest amount of offences in 2016 and 2015
Regional breakdown of lowest amount of offences in 2016 and 2015
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