One hundred drivers a day have had drink-drive endorsements added to their licences in the past three years according to new research from road safety charity IAM RoadSmart.

Worryingly, young professionals aged 25 to 39 are the worst offenders, seemingly unaware of the consequences of drink-driving. Some 48,000 drivers in this age group have been rapped, closely followed by 40,000 aged 40 to 65.

This compares to 15,000 drivers aged 17 to 24 who got points on their licence, and just 3,000 in the over 65s from 2022 to 2024, according to a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA. The oldest person to receive a drink-drive endorsement (DR20) was 91 when this was added to their licence in 2023.

Motorists who are caught drink-driving will automatically lose their licence and may end up with a prison sentence and an unlimited fine. The endorsement will remain on their licence for 11 years, and a second offence in ten years will lead to an extended disqualification.

The figures have led to concern that people underestimate the impact drink driving has not only on people’s safety but also on their finances and career.

Further research reveals that the cost of drink-driving has risen to potentially £80,000, up 15 per cent on previous research the charity conducted five years ago.

This consists of the loss of 15 months’ worth of salary equal to £46,800, legal fees of £13,600, fines costing up to £5,000, public transport costs of up to £2,500 and a whopping £13,700 in increased insurance premiums while the endorsement remains on the individual’s licence over the course of 11 years.

The number of people killed in drink-driving incidents has risen over the past decade, reaching a 13 year high in 2022 and prompting concerns that existing road safety measures are becoming less effective.

A major overhaul of the UK’s road safety laws is underway and this is set to be published as part of an updated road safety strategy in the Autumn.

Under the plans being considered by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, the drink-drive limit in England and Wales could be cut from 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath to 22 micrograms.

This figure would be in line with Scotland, which cut its drink-drive limit in 2014, and much of the rest of Europe, where no other country has a limit as high.

IAM RoadSmart director of policy and standards, Nicholas Lyes said: “Drink-driving is a dangerously reckless act that puts other people’s lives at risk. The fact that there were 1,860 killed or seriously injured in a drink-drive related collision in 2023 – the equivalent of five people a day - should be sufficient deterrent. But for some, the consequences might only dawn on them when they realise the wider cost.

“We hope that by calculating the potential cost to the individual, would-be law breakers will at the very least consider the impact on themselves and think twice before getting behind the wheel after a drink