New data reveals nearly 1 in 10 drivers stopped and breathalysed at Christmas failed tests
Our new data reveals 5,247 drivers were over the limit during previous festive periods
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Almost one in 10 drivers who were stopped and breathalysed by police during the festive periods of 2022-2024 were found to be over the legal alcohol limit, according to our new research.
Freedom of Information requests to 25 UK police forces reveal that 5,247 drivers were recorded as being over the limit during the month of December across the three most recent festive periods (Dec 2022, Dec 2023 and Dec 2024).
Despite a surge in roadside breath testing over the Christmas period, the data suggests drink driving remains a persistent problem at one of the busiest times of year on the roads.
Tens of thousands of tests were carried out each festive period, yet thousands of motorists were still caught over the limit, with some forces also recording the highest and most extreme breath alcohol readings of the year during this time.
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Christmas policing ramps up
The month of December consistently sees a sharp increase in drink driving enforcement, as police forces step up roadside testing in response to increased socialising, events and festive celebrations.
Across the police forces that provided monthly data, a total of 53,708 roadside breath tests were carried out during the Decembers of 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Several forces conducted particularly high volumes of testing in the Christmas month, with Lancashire Constabulary carrying out more roadside breath tests than any other force that responded.
In 2024 alone, nearly one in four drink driving breath tests carried out by the force took place in December.
Top police forces by roadside breath tests in December (2022–2024):
Lancashire Constabulary – 6,123 tests
Merseyside Police – 4,564
Cleveland Police – 4,499
Sussex Police – 3,921
Avon and Somerset Constabulary – 3,866
Thousands of drivers still caught over the limit at Christmas
Despite the scale of Christmas enforcement, the data shows that a large proportion of drivers tested during December are still found to be over the legal alcohol limit.
5,247 drivers were recorded as being over the legal alcohol limit across the three-year period analysed, meaning almost one in 10 roadside breath tests conducted resulted in a driver being over the legal limit.
Highest number of drivers over the legal alcohol limit in December by police force (2022-2024):
West Yorkshire Police – 787 drivers over the limit
Avon and Somerset Constabulary – 700
Kent Police – 382
Lancashire Constabulary – 372
South Yorkshire Police – 348
Some police forces recorded particularly high numbers of festive period offences. In West Yorkshire, the proportion of drivers failing breath tests over Christmas was especially stark.
Of the 2,387 roadside tests carried out by the force across the three Decembers analysed, 787 resulted in a driver being over the limit, meaning close to one in three breath tests carried out resulted in a driver being over the limit.
Other forces also recorded elevated test failure rates during December, with Suffolk Constabulary reporting a failure rate of around 21%, and North Wales Police around 18%.
'A Critical Period'
According to Ben Welham, motoring editor: “Christmas is a critical period for drink drive testing, and the data shows police are carrying out large volumes of roadside stops during the festive season to prevent harm.
"However, even with this level of enforcement, significant numbers of drivers are still being caught over the legal limit, sometimes at extremely high levels.
"Looking at approaches elsewhere, including Scotland’s lower alcohol limit threshold and zero-tolerance policies in other parts of Europe, it’s reasonable to ask whether clearer, simpler rules and messaging could help further reduce risk on the roads.”
December arrests: where police are making the most interventions
The volume of drink driving offences over Christmas also translates into thousands of arrests each year. Of the police forces that responded, a total of 8,159 drink driving arrests were recorded.
Surrey Police recorded the highest number of drink driving arrests in December, with almost double the number recorded by the next highest force. The data reveals how drink driving during the festive period can place sustained pressure on policing resources year after year.
Top police forces by drink driving arrests in December (2022-2024):
Surrey Police – 1,695 arrests
Police Service of Northern Ireland – 871
Kent Police – 764
West Yorkshire Police – 704
Lancashire Constabulary – 598
Extreme cases at Christmas
Beyond the overall volume of offences, the data also reveals how extreme some festive-period drink driving cases can be.
In England, the legal breath alcohol limit is 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, a level that can be reached after one or two units of alcohol for some drivers.
However, several police forces reported peak December breath alcohol readings far in excess of this threshold.
The highest December reading recorded in the dataset was 535 micrograms, logged by Staffordshire Police. This is more than 15 times the legal limit.
These extreme readings underline the serious risk posed not just by marginal decisions to drive after drinking, but by individuals driving while severely intoxicated during the festive period.
Vehicles such as used Volkswagen cars are popular for family journeys and day-to-day travel, and are ideal for Christmas trips. Whatever car you drive, the message is clear: if you’ve been drinking, don’t drive. Plan ahead, arrange alternative transport and make sure to keep yourself and others safe.
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