- UK's most prolific drink driver revealed
- Caught six times in five years
- Prison time a 'distinct possibility'
- Comes amid calls to lower the alcohol threshold
Exclusive new research has revealed how one motorist was prosecuted for being over the drink drive limit SIX TIMES in the past five years.
Government ministers are consulting on lowering the threshold for alcohol from 35mcg per 100ml of breath to 22mcg, bringing it into line with Scotland and other European countries.
New drivers could face even stricter rules, while cars could also be fitted with alcolocks - technology that prevents a vehicle from starting if alcohol is detected on the driver’s breath.
The possibility of potential changes to the law for the first time since 1967 have received a mixed response, though there's broad support from the British public as well as medical and road safety campaigners.
New figures obtained by Select Van Leasing via a Freedom of Information request to the DVLA show one motorist receiving half-a-dozen DR10 endorsements - “driving or attempting to drive with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit” - since the start of 2020.
Meanwhile, three individuals racked up five drink-drive convictions and a further 32 have four on their record for the same period.
According to the DVLA data, the total number of multiple offenders who fell foul of the law over the same timeframe was a staggering 6,234.
Penalties for a DR10 endorsement include a minimum 12-month driving suspension and three to 11 points on your licence. Each offence stays on a driving record for 11 years.
The new figures may highlight the troubling issue of people already banned from the roads still getting behind the wheel while over the limit.
The most prolific offender's record makes for sobering reading. They received DR10 endorsements in 2020, twice in 2021, once in 2023 and twice again in 2024.
The DVLA figures for complete years run up to the end of 2024, but the government agency also provided the numbers up to September 27 last year.
They show 278 motorists racked up multiple DR10 endorsements on their licence since the start of 2025 - 269 having two, eight having three offences and one person totalling four in just under nine months.
How is it possible to rack-up so many drink drive offences in a five year period when each offence involves a 12-month driving ban?
Select Van Leasing consulted Dominic Smith, Head of the Road Traffic Department at motoring solicitors firm Patterson Law.
He said prison sentences were a “distinct possibility” for repeat offenders and explained: “If people have multiple convictions it would strongly indicate that, on at least one occasion, they were charged with both drink driving and driving whilst disqualified.
"Both offences carry up to six months in prison. For a first offence, an immediate prison sentence is unlikely, but with repeated offences prison becomes a distinct possibility.
"With an early guilty plea, you'd be looking at two months behind bars. That means somebody could continue to drink drive - the court could even disqualify them for life - but they'd serve short stints in prison.
"In very particular circumstances, a defendant can put forward a ‘special reason’, such as drink driving during a genuine emergency or if their drink was spiked without their knowledge.
“In these circumstances the court would find somebody guilty, meaning the conviction would be shown on their record, but they wouldn't be disqualified."
Is there another potential explanation?
What if someone hadn't touched a drop of alcohol, but were still found to be over the drink drive limit?
A little-known medical condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS) is worth bearing in mind.
It's extremely rare, but involves fungi in the gut reacting with food and to create large amounts of alcohol (ethanol) as part of the fermentation process.
In 2024, a Belgian motorist was cleared of drink driving having successfully proved he suffered from ABS.
He'd been pulled over by police on several occasions before three independent doctors were able to confirm his ABS diagnosis.
There's no indication that ABS played a part in any of the prosecutions outlined in the Select Van Leasing data.
However, in 2022 a British sufferer from Suffolk documented his own struggles in an interview with the BBC.
Enjoyed this? Read our latest news
- Ford Puma vs Renault Captur - a comparison
- Shimmering K-pop Ferrari is one-of-a-kind
- New Volvo EX60 ‘changes the game’ with 503-mile range
- Cor-blimey: Europe’s first new Vettes arrive!
- World’s best road trips - a Top 6 chosen by our writers
Where To Next?
What is car leasing? Read our car leasing explainer.
For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to our newsletter.
Looking for a great leasing deal? Check out our incredible range of special offers.
Read our latest reviews and find the right model for you.
Want to know more about leasing? Take a look at our comprehensive leasing guides.
Interested in everything motoring? Why not catch up on all the latest car leasing news.
