Guilty or not guilty

Many attempts have been made in the past to assess the effects of alcohol on roads safety. For several reasons, this is a complicated problem. It is hard to establish that the accused driver had been drinking, and if so, how much?

Even when there is no doubt about this, there still remains the task of proving that the accident was, in fact, due to the alcoholic state of the driver. In Great Britain, it’s particularly difficult to make any precise assessment of the effect of alcohol on the rate of traffic accidents, because the police when reporting an accident are most reluctant to say that they suspect the driver being under the influence of alcohol unless they charge him with being drunk. They are also aware that even when the driver is charged with being drunk, he stands an excellent chance of being released if he chooses to appeal for trial before a judging jury.