Through a glass darkly.

Much gnashing of teeth and beating of breasts here in the Midlands because the drink-driving figures for this Christmas period reveal something like a 100% increase over last year. Whilst it would clearly be better if drivers didn't drink, I think the reaction to this statistic verges on the hysterical. Firstly, it may well be that the increase is simply a reflection of the fact that the Police have become rather more clever in just who they target and breathalyse - it could be that the number of drink drivers hasn't really altered, just that more of them are being caught. Secondly - and I have to be careful here, because it's such an emotive subject - are we reading things into this statistic that are not there? I've touched on this briefly before in relation to speed limits, but there is an underlying assumption that, if you are over the alcohol limit, or exceeding the speed limit, you are ipso facto driving dangerously, and I don't think this necessarily follows. I'm sure I can't be alone in saying that I can think of drivers I would feel much safer being driven by after they had had a couple of drinks, than others when they are stone-cold sober.