DRINK DRIVING

Alcohol greatly increases the risk of road deaths

Alcohol use causes impairment when driving. 

Between 2017 and 2019, alcohol and drugs were a factor in 40% of fatal crashes (13% alcohol only, 9% alcohol and drugs, 18% drugs only). This proportion was higher among young adults aged 20 to 24 years (60% of all fatal crashes involved alcohol/drugs) and 25 to 29 year olds (65%).

Road traffic crashes involving alcohol are more likely to be fatal or result in severe injuries.

The risk of crashing increases with the amount of alcohol in the blood at the time of driving.  For New Zealanders aged 20 years or over, it is illegal to drive with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05mg alcohol per 100ml of blood. For drivers under 20 years, there is a zero tolerance to alcohol in the blood.

Drivers aged 20-29 with a BAC of 0.05mg/100ml are about 17 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than their sober counterpart. Adults aged over 30 years are about 6 times as likely.

New Zealand statistics

In 2019, 160 people died and 391 were seriously injured in crashes where alcohol/drugs were a contributing factor.

An Official Information Act request on alcohol-related crashes found the following:

Between 2017 and 2019, for every 100 alcohol or drug-impaired drivers or riders who died in road crashes, 
27 of their passengers and 32 other road users died with them

What is the financial cost of drink driving?

For the three years to 2012, it was estimated that the social cost of alcohol-related crashes (for drivers over 20 years) in New Zealand was $446 million. This figure is in 2013 dollars.

Number of random breath tests 

New Zealand's Road to Zero strategy adopts the Vision Zero approach to road deaths. Strong drink driving laws and adequate enforcement of them are central to achieving this goal.

Of huge concern, the number of random breath tests in New Zealand has reduced from around 3 million tests in 2013/14 (about 1 test per driver per year – which is best practice) to below 2 million tests in 2018/19.109 If best practice levels of enforcement were adhered to, there would be over 3 million tests carried out every year (in 2015 there were 3,384,395 New Zealanders who had a driver licence).

There are technological differences in reporting that may explain much of the lower number of tests carried out in the 2015/16 period. The data above are obtained from NZ Police Annual reports.

Changes in the way in which road policing is structured in a number of Police districts has resulted in the disestablishment of dedicated impairment testing teams. This may have also contributed to a reduction in test volumes. There has also been implementation of a more targeted, intelligence-based approach to testing.

Number of convicted offences for exceeding the drink driving or other substance limit

With regards to convictions for drink driving (or exceeding limit for other substances), the number of convictions has declined in recent years. The lower numbers of random breath tests being carried out is likely to play a role in this. Data below were obtained from NZ.Stat.

In 2012/2013, it was found that there were high levels of reoffending, with around half of those convicted having at least one previous drink-drive conviction over their lifetime of driving.