The Czech Republic has made the most progress in reducing drink-driving deaths in Europe but the number of victims has risen in other countries, according to a new study.
Deaths from alcohol-related accidents in the Czech Republic fell 11 per cent faster than other road deaths between the 1996-98 period and 2005, followed by Germany and Poland with falls of about 6 and 5 per cent, respectively, the study showed.
But in other countries, drink-driving fatalities increased. Finland, Hungary and Spain showed rises of 3.01 to 4.86 per cent in alcohol-related versus other road deaths.
In Britain the number rose 2.35 per year, and in four other countries it slowed less than the general rate of road deaths.
The study, drawn up by Brussels-based European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), said keys to bringing down the death rate were the blood-alcohol limits for legal driving, which vary from country to country, as well as testing of drivers by police, which remains patchy in the European Union.
Ireland was among seven countries unable to produce the data needed to evaluate developments in drink driving, the ETSC said.