The UK’s later pub licensing laws may have actually contributed to a significantly lower rate of road crashes, a new study has shown.
The study, carried out by economists at Lancaster University Management School, shows that the new laws had a potentially immediate impact. Police reports of crashes fell by 13 per cent just one month after they were introduced in 2005. This works out as a reduction of around 1,643 crashes.
Under late licensing laws, pubs and other drinking establishments are permitted to stay open till midnight, 1am or even later in some circumstances. Over 60 per cent of pubs now operate under the new rules, serving alcohol later than they used to.
It was initially feared by some that the new laws may encourage people to drive under the influence, and lead to an increase in crashes on the road.
It seems that that has not been the case however, with experts explaining that the findings suggest more people are drinking longer and opting for a taxi ride home, rather than having a ‘swift one’ and attempting to drive under the influence. In Layman’s terms, people are much more likely to drive when they’re a little over the limit than when they’ve had a skin full.
The research also shows that the most significant fall was in accidents involving younger drivers, specifically those aged between 18 and 25, which isn’t surprising given modern drinking cultures.
Unfortunately, however, budget cuts led to a significant rise in drink-drive related deaths last year. You can read more about that here.
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