Fifth of 18-24s went driving with a drunk last Christmas
Date: 17/01/2008 11:03:29
Almost 20 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds got into a vehicle last festive season where the driver could have risked more than a car insurance claim by being over the legal alcohol limit.
Research by the RAC Foundation has shown that 17 per cent of people in this age group got into the car despite the motorist not being fit to drive.
This was also the answer of 12 per cent of 13 to 17-year-olds and eight per cent of people aged between 25 and 49.
Sheila Rainger, acting director of the RAC Foundation, said that the findings were "shocking".
"New thinking is needed, targeting passengers as well as drivers, to ensure that drink driving remains socially unacceptable and to ensure that passengers, especially younger women, have the confidence to turn down what could be their last lift."
Meanwhile, figures from the Association of Chief Police Officers have shown that last Christmas saw drink driver numbers fall by almost a fifth in total.