Almost a third of young drivers admit to drink driving

And one in five admits to driving while under the influence of illegal drugs, according to a new survey by Auto Trader.

The disturbing research, conducted amongst 4,000 motorists, found 17 per cent of 17-24 year olds regularly smoke cannabis and 12 per cent drive after taking cocaine.

And 45 per cent of these young people said they ‘feel fine to drive’ if they have taken drugs with 12 per cent saying they offset the danger by driving slowly and carefully while under the influence of illegal substances.

Worryingly, 30 per claimed to believe drivers on drugs have a heightened sense of awareness.

Half of those asked admitted they weren’t aware of the legal limit for alcohol content in the blood while driving, with 40 per cent believing the limit to be two units of any alcoholic drink.

Only 15 per cent correctly identified the legal limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol to 100 millilitres of blood.

In response to these findings Auto Trader has launched its ‘Don’t Wreck The Ride’ campaign to help try and cut the number of road deaths amongst young people – the leading cause of death amongst 16-24 year olds.

For more information, visit Don’t Wreck The Ride