Police target women drink drivers in run up to Christmas
Police across the UK are targeting female drivers after a rise in the number of women pulled over for drink driving, it has emerged.
While men are responsible for the majority of drink driving convictions (83%), the number of women drivers pulled over for a breath test has steadily risen over the last 15 years.
According to an AA study, the number of male drivers who failed a breath test after an accident fell by 17.6% between 2010 and 2013 - but only fell by 5.9% for women.
Another study by Social Research Associates (SRA) showed the percentage of women convicted of being over the limit has almost doubled in the past 15 years, from 9% of the total caught in 1998 to 17% by 2012.
With adjustments for miles driven, women over the age of 30 were more likely to be over the limit than men, and female motorists breath-tested after an accident over 40 were more likely to have a very high alcohol level.
There were a number of different reasons why women chose to drink drive, according to SRA. The three main reasons were:
Unexpected calls from teenage children to pick them up.
Being expected to drive while out with partners who announced they were over the limit.
Not wanting to risk late-night public transport.
Former Met detective Jaqui Hames told Good Morning Britain the number of women drink driving was "huge" because women "forget" they cannot drink as much alcohol as men.