The worst UK regions for drink and drug driving revealed – find out how your local area fares
HEREFORD has been named and shamed as the worst area for drink and driving convictions in the UK.
The region has a rate of 2.3 convictions for driving under the influence for every 1,000 drivers over the past year.
That represents a 0.8 rise on the 12 months prior when it didn't even make the top 10 worst regions. It's also a significant increase on second-worst UK town Crewe, which has a rate of 1.86.
Insurance broker MoneySuperMarket collected the data from six million car cover quotes from November 1, 2017 to October 31 this year.
Blackpool, Sunderland and Newport made up the top five, while a full nationwide ranking can be seen on the .
The region with the fewest amount of drink and drug driving convictions was London. The north west of the city, north, east and south west took the top four table spots.
Galashiels on the Scottish Borders was the fifth lowest for DUI crime, with a rate of 0.62 convictions for every 1,000 drivers.
Meanwhile, men are twice as likely as women to be found of drink-drug driving, as well as the total number of convictions for females nearly halving over the last year from a rate of 1.20 to 0.66.
Plumbers, students, scaffolders, ground workers and builders were the occupations found most at fault for DUI.
Emma Garland, MoneySuperMarket Data Scientist, said: "With Christmas parties and festivities coming up, there is more chance of people getting behind the wheel under the influence as they may not realise how much alcohol they've had.
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"Driving the next morning while unknowingly still over the limit is also a key factor, especially for those who may have particularly early starting times, such as labourers and plumbers.
"However, it's reassuring to see that convictions have decreased since last year and hopefully they will continue to do so year on year.
"Drink or drug driving can be damaging not only to your licence, but also to yourself and others - so if you are doubting your sobriety, don't put yourself or others at risk by driving, even if it seems like an inconvenience at the time."