Young drivers at the centre of UK’s ‘drug-driving epidemic’

Young drivers account for a significant share of drug-driving offences in Britain, with new figures showing motorists aged 17 to 24 make up nearly one in five cases.

The data has prompted warning Britain is facing a “drug-driving epidemic”, with campaigners calling for tougher roadside powers for police and better education about the dangers of driving after taking drugs.

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Figures obtained by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request show drivers aged 17 to 24 received 18% of all drug-driving endorsements in 2025, despite representing just 6% of all licence holders.

The figures also reveal a major shift in offending. Drug-driving offences have now overtaken drink-driving for the first time.

A total of 30,707 drug-driving endorsements were added to licences in 2025, up 28% from 23,981 in 2022. That compares with 29,981 drink-driving endorsements last year, down 17% from 35,976 three years earlier.

The figures are based on Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) records for DG10 and DR10 endorsements, issued to motorists convicted of driving or attempting to drive while over the legal limit for drugs or alcohol.

It’s illegal to drive if you’re unfit because you’ve taken legal or illegal drugs, or if certain drugs in your system exceed the legal limit. Anyone convicted faces a minimum one-year driving ban, an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison.

The latest Department for Transport (DfT) statistics also show 74 people died on Britain’s roads in 2024 in crashes where a driver impaired by drugs was recorded as a contributory factor.

A DfT spokesperson said the figures are “deeply concerning” and that “drug-driving is reckless, dangerous and ruins lives”.

The government has committed to tackling drug-driving through its Road Safety Strategy, published in January, including reviewing penalties and exploring faster methods of gathering evidence using saliva or sweat samples.

Nicholas Lyes, director of policy and external communications at IAM RoadSmart, said: “It’s becoming clear that the UK is mired in a drug-driving epidemic, to the point where it may now be more of a threat on our streets than drink-driving.

“The government’s Road Safety Strategy clearly outlines the intention to tackle drug-driving, but we need to start seeing action soon before more lives are needlessly lost.”

Lyes added that educating people about the misconceptions of the impacts that drugs have on a person’s ability to drive is a start, but police should be given powers to suspend licences at the roadside for failing a drug swab test.

The dangers of drug-driving were highlighted again this week when Daniel Tunstead, 35, from Widnes, was sentenced after reaching speeds of 167mph while being pursued by police on the A55 in North Wales.

Tunstead received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and a three-year driving ban after admitting drug-driving, dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

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