Multiple reports warn of a potential “drug-driving epidemic” after new figures show offences involving drug driving are increasing and, for the first time, overtake drink-driving in terms of endorsements recorded on licences. The Independent reports that more than 30,000 endorsements for drug driving are added to driving licences during 2025, indicating a rise in enforcement outcomes for drug-related offences. Belfast Telegraph similarly highlights concern that drug-driving offences are now exceeding those for drink-driving, and frames the change as a warning sign for public safety.
While the sources use alarmed language about an emerging trend, they both point to the same underlying issue: recorded drug-driving offences and licence endorsements are rising to a level that surpasses drink-driving in the latest data. The reports do not suggest a single cause, but they collectively focus on the scale of endorsements in 2025 and the apparent shift in offence patterns as detected and processed by authorities.
