Drink-driving is targeted by campaigns every Christmas

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said 8.91% of breath tests administered following collisions were failed by drivers.

The figure compares to 8.71% in 2002-3 and 8.16% the year before.

However, the number of tests carried out after collisions fell, as did the number of crashes causing injury.

The government annually targets the festive period with campaigns on the dangers of drink-driving.

Senior police officers admitted there was still "a worrying proportion" of people drinking and driving.

Same proportion

A total of 11,622 breath tests were administered after collisions reported to police, a 6.29% drop from the 12,402 breath tests taken in the same circumstances during the 2002-3 Christmas and New Year period.

Of the tests for 2003-4, the proportion of those that failed rose, following a trend in evidence since 1998.

But the number of collisions causing injury was 5,002, a drop of 4.58% on 2002-3.

DRINK-DRIVE FIGURES 11,622 breath tests after crashes in 2003-4 festive period Of these, 8.91% were positive 12,402 breath tests after crashes in 2002-3 festive period Of these, 8.71% were positive 5,002 crashes with injuries in 2003-4 5,242 crashes with injuries in 2003-4

Richard Brunstrom, ACPO's head of road policing and chief constable of North Wales Police, said the campaign had been a success because of this.

He added: "The number of drink-related collisions was also reduced by a significant 4.17% on last year, 25% less than in 1997.

"However, a worrying proportion are still driving having consumed excess alcohol. This is borne out by the fact that the hit rate for those having been involved in a collision and testing positive for alcohol has been increasing slightly year-on-year since 1998 to its current rate of 8.91%, virtually reaching the 1997 baseline of 9.11%.

"The sad fact is that in 2003 the same percentage of drivers in collisions that police dealt with over the Christmas and New Year period had been drinking to excess as in 1997.

"It is time the government followed the European Commission recommendation of a lower blood alcohol limit of 50mg (compared with the UK limit of 80mg)."

A total of 1,035 drivers will face court proceedings as a result of a drink-related collisions during the two-week campaign.

Drink-drive related deaths have dropped considerably since the late 1970s and early 1980s, but there has been concern that recent anti drink-drive campaigns have not been getting through to the hard core of offenders.

In 1979, there were as many as 1,640 fatalities and more than 31,000 casualties in such incidents, this has dropped to fewer than 500 fatalities in recent years.

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "The proportion of people testing positive over the Christmas and New Year period is now back to what it was six years ago and the number of people killed in drink-drive accidents annually has also increased.

"There will be no improvement in this dreadful situation unless the government accepts that the drink-drive limit should be lowered from 80mg to 50mg and the police are given powers to breath test motorists anywhere and at anytime."