The ETSC report also revealed that the UK, except Scotland, has the highest drink drive limit in the EU and that drink drive related road deaths are on the rise in the UK.

The report comes as research by Brake found that UK drivers would support random drug and alcohol testing by the Police, to curb drink and drug driving. The research, in conjunction with insurer Direct Line, found that 7 in 10 drivers said that they would welcome random drug and alcohol testing by the police with only 1 in 10 disagreeing.

Commenting, Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “This report lays bare the UK’s failure to tackle the menace of drink driving compared to our EU counterparts. With England and Wales having the dubious honour of the highest drink-drive limit in Europe and more people dying on our roads due to drink driving, the time for action is now.

“Our current drink-drive limit gives a false impression that it is acceptable to mix alcohol and driving – which couldn’t be further from the truth. Decisive action is needed to end this blight on our roads and prevent the needless loss of life. A zero-tolerance drink drive limit is a proven effective solution, as this report shows, and we call on the Government to implement this urgently, making clear to drivers that not a drop of alcohol is safe.

“We also want to see the police given new powers to set up vehicle checkpoints and carry out random alcohol and drug tests on the roads. As our research shows, drivers fully support this move and international evidence suggests that random testing can have a positive impact. Drink and drug driving are a blight on our roads and drivers need to expect that if they break the law they will be caught and punished.”

For more news & information from Brake, please click here. To see the report from the ETSC, please click here.