Police slam women drink drivers

Police slam women drink drivers (BBC News, Monday, 31 December 2007)

Another pathetic attempt to turn meaningless data into something newsworthy. We are told that '100 of the 657 drivers who have been charged with drink or drug driving offences were women' and that 'for many years there was a perception that middle aged male drivers were the worst offenders'. One has the distinct impression the author wants to tell us something, probably that women have started drinking more. But more than what? More than women did a few years ago? More relative to men? The offered factoids allow for the possibility that men have started drinking less and alcohol consumption by women has remained the same. Perhaps the author realises this but was too lazy to do anything more than stitch together a few readily available statistics to form an incoherent article.