Drug Driving Statistics UK: Latest Data & Limits (2026)

How drug-driving statistics are measured

• Drug detection: a substance was found in a toxicology test. This can include medicine and does not by itself establish impairment.
• Exceeding a specified limit: a test result was above the legal threshold for a particular drug.
• Police-recorded drug factor: an attending officer judged that being affected by drugs may have contributed to a collision.

These measures answer different questions. The toxicology analysis covers deceased drivers, while police-recorded factors can identify circumstances involving surviving drivers too.

Drug-related fatalities and the annual trend

The estimated 120 fatalities include all people killed in qualifying collisions, including passengers and other road users. Each collision must involve at least one deceased driver over an illegal-drug limit, so the estimate does not cover the full range of drug-driving collisions.

This fatality measure fell by 24% between 2023 and 2024. Separately, the number of deceased drivers with drugs detected fell by 19%, while remaining more than 40% above its 2014 level.

In 2024, drugs were detected in 17% of all deceased drivers, equivalent to 24% of those with toxicology reports. The difference reflects incomplete testing coverage.

Drug factors in fatal collisions in 2025

An affected-by-drugs factor was assigned to 12% of fatal collisions in DfT's analysed 2025 road safety factor dataset. This is the attending officer's assessment and covers the relevant RSF subset of police records.

Alcohol and drug factors can occur in the same collision. Their individual percentages overlap, and changes in the recording system affect comparisons with older contributory-factor figures.

Prescription medicines and driving

It is illegal to drive when unfit through legal or illegal drugs. In Great Britain, taking certain prescribed medicines as directed can provide a medical defence to the specified-limit offence. That defence does not permit driving while impaired. The specified-limit law does not cover Northern Ireland, where driving while unfit through drugs remains an offence.

Drivers should check medicine instructions and ask a prescriber or pharmacist about driving when uncertain. Employers' fitness-to-drive arrangements should cover prescribed medicines as well as illicit substances, with a way for staff to raise concerns before a work journey.

Toxicology coverage

Toxicology coverage and testing practices vary between places and years. Testing may be more likely where drug involvement is suspected, and detected substances can include medicines administered after a collision. These features affect how the results represent wider drug use and long-term trends.

Frequently asked questions

How many deaths are recorded in the latest drug-driving estimate?

DfT estimates 120 fatalities in Great Britain in 2024 in collisions involving at least one deceased driver over an illegal-drug limit. This is a defined subset of drug-driving collisions.

What proportion of deceased drivers had drugs detected?

Drugs were detected in 17% of all deceased drivers in 2024, or 24% of those with toxicology reports. Detection alone does not establish impairment.

What percentage of fatal collisions involved a police-recorded drug factor?

An affected-by-drugs factor was assigned to 12% of fatal collisions in the analysed Great Britain road safety factor dataset for 2025.