For decades, drink driving has been one of the most prominent road safety risks facing drivers, employers and the police.
But new DVLA figures suggest the picture may be changing, with drug driving becoming the biggest challenge facing the authorities.
In 2025, 30,707 drug-driving endorsements were added to individual driving licences, compared with 29,769 drink-driving endorsements, making it the first time that drug-driving endorsements have overtaken those for drink driving.
The direction of travel is particularly concerning, with drug-driving incidents increasing by 28% since 2022, while drink-driving cases have fallen by 17% over the same period.
Is Drug Driving The Bigger Threat?
The figures do not necessarily prove that drug driving now causes more collisions, injuries or deaths than drink driving. So-called ‘licence endorsements; measure detected and prosecuted offences, rather than the full scale of harm on the road.
However, they do show that drug driving can no longer be treated as a secondary issue.
Department for Transport (DfT) figures show that 74 people died on Britain’s roads in 2024 in collisions where a driver impaired by drugs was recorded as a contributory factor.
Young drivers are particularly overrepresented. Drivers aged 17 to 24 account for around 6% of licence holders but received 18% of all drug-driving endorsements in 2025, while more than 1,100 endorsements were recorded among 17 to 19-year-olds alone.
That is especially troubling when 41% of young men reportedly believe it is acceptable to drive after taking drugs provided they “feel fine”. Drugs can impair reaction times, concentration, judgement and coordination, even when the driver does not recognise that their ability has been affected.
The latest figures sit alongside previous evidence that 44% of drug-driving offences are committed by reoffenders.
There were 3,193 instances of drug-drive reoffending in 2024, an increase of 134% compared with 2020. Unlike drink driving, there is currently no national rehabilitation programme specifically for drug-drive offenders.
Enforcement delays also remain a concern. A positive roadside swab for cannabis or cocaine must normally be followed by a blood test, with laboratory results sometimes taking several months. During that period, a suspect may remain legally able to drive.
Campaigners have therefore called for faster evidential testing, temporary roadside licence suspensions following a failed swab and a national rehabilitation scheme.
What Does This Mean For Fleets?
Employers should not assume that a standard alcohol policy is enough to manage the changing risk.
A clear drugs and alcohol policy should explain the rules around illegal substances, prescription medication and over-the-counter medicines that may impair driving.
Drivers should understand that being legally prescribed a medicine does not make it safe to drive while impaired.
Fleets should review how suspected impairment is reported, how managers respond to concerns and whether appropriate testing arrangements are in place. Licence checks and ongoing driver risk monitoring can also help identify convictions, endorsements and emerging patterns earlier.
That’s where the value of Licence Monitor and Risk Monitor really come into play.
Drug driving may not yet have overtaken drink driving on every road safety measure, but it has overtaken it in recorded endorsements, is rising quickly and presents a growing risk that fleets cannot afford to overlook.
