Admiral research shows men more likely than women to drink drive

A YouGov survey recently commissioned by Admiral, suggests that too many motorists may think drink driving is acceptable, with almost a fifth of drivers admitting they have driven a car when over the limit.

Admiral car insurance surveyed 3,120 UK motorists and found that 27% of men admitted to driving over the limit, compared with 10% of women.

In total, the survey found that 19% of people have driven a car while over the drink drive limit.

Different attitudes towards drinking and driving between men and women were also apparent when participants were asked how many units they were happy to consume before getting behind the wheel. Although overall two fifths (40%) of those questioned said they would only consider themselves safe to drive after drinking no units of alcohol at all, 11% of men would consume more than 3 units and consider themselves safe to drive, compared to just 1% of women.

Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, commented, "With summer in full swing and a bank holiday later this month, the temptation to drive after a few drinks in a beer garden or at a barbecue may be too much for some people. But, it's vital that people are aware of how much alcohol they are consuming when they are due to drive, and remember that drink driving is not acceptable in any shape or form and it’s never worth the risk.

"The difference between men and women in our research is a worry, as it appears the anti-drink driving message is getting through to women, but not so effectively with men. The amount of alcohol in someone's blood is the same, regardless of their gender."

Another area where people need to be aware of their alcohol consumption is the morning after. Admiral's research showed that almost three in ten (29%) have driven the morning after drinking heavily and suspected they were still over the drink driving limit. This number is again highest in men, with over a third (36%) admitting to this compared to 22% of women. Just over one in seven (15%) motorists don't take what they're drinking into consideration when they know they have to drive the next morning.

Longthorn continued: "With all-day barbecues, longer evenings and fine weather, the time people spend drinking can tend to increase in the summer. If people have to drive in the morning, they must know when to stop the night before. You may feel fine the next day, but have to remember that it takes time for the alcohol to leave your system, so you could still be over the limit."

When questioned on how much people should be able to legally drink and still drive, over a third (37%) of the respondents to Admiral's survey said they think the current drink driving limit should stay the same, but almost half (48%) think it should be lower than it is now.

The survey also showed that a quarter (25%) of participants admitting to having knowingly got into a car being driven by someone they suspected was over the drink-driving limit.

About Admiral

Admiral, (a trading name of EUI Ltd) launched in 1993, and is part of Admiral Group plc. It was set up to target those motorists who traditionally pay higher than average car insurance premiums, including those under-35, living in cities or driving hot hatches. The Admiral Group now employs almost 5,000 people in the UK and was named the 2nd best large place to work in the UK by the Great Place to Work Institute in 2013. Admiral writes its motor insurance business to a consortium of insurers, these being: Admiral Insurance Company Ltd, Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited and Great Lakes Reinsurance (UK) plc.

Editor’s notes

- Drivers were defined as those who presently hold a valid driving licence and have a car in their household.

- All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 4,149 adults, of which 3,120 presently hold a valid driving licence and have a car in their household. Fieldwork was undertaken between 22nd and 24th May 2013.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).

- Admiral's full Survey of UK Motorists and regional results can be found at www.admiral.com/surveyofmotorists