DEVON and Cornwall Police have recorded more than 7,400 drink and drug-driving offences in the last three years, with the figure now the highest it has been in three years, a new investigation has revealed.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) recently joined the increasing calls for a reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit for UK drivers after the latest figures from the Department for Transport revealed drink-driving deaths have risen to 300 a year — a 13-year high.

New data obtained by law firm Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests has found that in Devon and Cornwall between December 2021 and November 2024, police have recorded 7,497 drink/drug-driving offences - with the figures rising by 51 per cent since 2021/22.

Legal Expert’s road traffic accident specialist, Tracy Chick said: “Drink and drug-driving is such an avoidable offence and there is no excuse for drinking and getting behind the wheel.”

Devon and Cornwall Police also revealed the most prolific areas for drink-driving in the last year.

Exeter came out on top with a total of 193 drivers caught over the limit in 2023/24.

It is followed by Torquay where 135 offences were recorded. A further 133 were logged in Exmouth as well as 124 in Plymouth North and Plympton.

The most common age group for those caught drink/drug-driving in the last year was between 25 and 34, accounting for 28 per cent of the figures, closely followed by 35-44 year-olds which made up 27 per cent.

What’s more, a staggering 78 per cent of drink/drug-drivers in Devon and Cornwall last year were male.

The findings follow the latest data released by the Department for Transport in 2024 revealing that UK drink-driving deaths have hit a 13-year high.

There were an estimated 300 deaths where at least one driver was over the legal blood-alcohol limit in 2022, the latest year for which official figures are available. This is the highest annual figure since 2009.

The number is 16 per cent higher than in 2021 and means drink-drive fatalities accounted for about 18 per cent of all deaths, bucking the general long-term trend for safer roads and more responsible driving.

In January 14, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) Addictions and Substance Misuse leads and their Roads Policing counterparts jointly backed the British Medical Association’s (BMA) call for a reduction in the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers.

Joy Allen and David Sidwick, APCC leads for addictions and substance misuse, along with Sarah Taylor and Marc Jones, APCC leads for roads policing, said: “Too many families have been devastated by the consequences of drink driving, with around 300 people dying each year in collisions where a driver is over the limit.

“Even minimal alcohol consumption can significantly impair a driver's judgment and their ability to react quickly. If we are to save lives and make our roads safer for everyone, we must get across the message that any amount of alcohol before driving is dangerous.”