That figure is a slight improvement on last year’s 6%, but the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said the decrease was not enough: “Although there has been a reduction in 2012, this reduction is not big enough. There were still almost 5,000 drivers found to be driving under the influence who have not got the message.”

There’s also been a small fall in the number of under 25s drinking, which can only be a good thing, especially when there has been an increase in the number of young offenders since 2010. But there are still more under 25s drink driving than those over 25: 6.7% compared to 5.5%. Drivers under 25 make up just 6 million of the almost 45 million drivers in the UK.

ACPO roads policing expert Deputy Chief Constable Suzette Davenport said: “Through our annual Christmas and summer campaigns we have consistently warned the public that drink and drug driving can kill.

“We are disappointed that there is still a group of people who are not listening or ignoring the consequences and continuing to drink or take drugs and drive. The police will continue to work with communities to reach this group of drivers.”

Police also tested drivers for drug taking, and for those stopped on suspicion of drug driving, 22% were arrested. ACPO said that police are looking out for signs of drivers under the influence and is targeting them with both breath tests and field impairment tests to make arrests of people who should not be on the road.