Taxi and bus drivers have lowest rates of drink driving convictions, research reveals

Taxi and bus drivers have some of the lowest number of drink driving convictions compared to construction workers, research from MoneySuperMarket reveals.

The highest offenders are mature students living at home, with 28.5 per 1,000 with drink or drug driving convictions.

However, when it comes to occupations, taxi drivers (0.10) and bus drivers (0.21) drivers have the lowest number of offences, alongside hospital doctors (0.17) and midwives (0.19)

Amongst construction workers, scaffolders rank the highest for the second year in a row, with 4.5 per 1,000, followed by labourers (4.3), ground workers (4.2) and builders (4.0)

Civialian police staff are the least likely to have drink and drug driving convictions (0.00), followed by police officers (0.02) and school students (0.06) - reflecting the low rates of convictions for drivers between the ages of 17-19, says MoneySuperMarket. 

MoneySuperMarket’s consumer affairs expert Kevin Pratt said: “Getting behind the wheel intoxicated is not only very dangerous, but it also carries massive life and financial consequences.

“At the very least, it can lead to a year’s driving ban but in extreme cases, a life ban and time behind bars, potentially causing people to lose their jobs and affect other important commitments.

“Although our analysis shows that it’s a minority that are offending, it’s worrying to see that convictions have increased since last year.

"Many people often forget that alcohol can stay in their system for a long time, leading to them being convicted the following morning when they might assume they’re sober.

“For example, construction workers, who dominate our top 10 occupations with the most convictions, are often up extremely early and could easily still be over the limit if they’ve had a drink the night before.

“Car insurance premiums following a conviction can increase and with drink and drug driving penalties sitting on your licence for 11 years, paying for a taxi seems like a small price for what could potentially be a life-changing disruption.

"For those who have been convicted and experienced a hike in their premiums, it’s worth shopping around as another provider might offer a smaller increase.”