The figures are out — and they’re not good. London notched a surprising spike in drinking and driving charges last year, and warnings about cellphones behind the wheel are falling on deaf ears for digitally distracted drivers.

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It sounds like something from the mid-1980s, not today — a jaw-dropping 14% hike in London impaired driving-related charges.

It was almost more jarring than a disturbing, but more expected sign of our times — a 45% spike in distracted driving tickets.

The figures are included in the latest annual London police summary, for 2013, of what’s gone down on the city’s roads.

Crashes were up by 6% overall last year, but the stand-out statistic was the surge in drinking and driving charges.

“There was a downward trend over the previous five years, so the increase is concerning,” said Traffic Sgt. Ryan Scrivens.

“The message is clear that not only is (impaired driving) a criminal offence, but it is also the leading cause of criminal death in our country,” he said.

But one observer ways we can’t expect alcohol-fueled offences to decrease when advertising bombards society with messages that drinking makes life better.

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” Robert Solomon, a Western University law professor and director of legal policy for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said about the London spike in charges.

“The alcohol industry spends hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars a year with the message that alcohol is liquid fun. You can’t watch a sports event without a beer commercial,” he said.

Solomon said London’s spike doesn’t necessarily indicate a change in behaviour, noting the increase in charges could be related to greater police enforcement. Still, he said Canada has “made very little progress” in stopping impaired driving since the 1990s.

Here are some other highlights from the 2013 summary:

DISTRACTED DRIVING

The cellphone yakkers, texters and other drivers whose attention is diverted by hand-held devices fueled a 45% spike in distracted driving charges last year, a growing trend despite some of North American’s toughest penalties for that in Ontario.

WORST INTERSECTION

Busy Wellington and Commissioners roads tops the hit parade, with more crashes than any other crossing in the city.

THE NUMBERS

Impaired driving charges

2013: 532

2012: 465

2011: 472

2010: 507

Distracted driving tickets:

2013: 1,680

2012: 1,160

Crashes

2013: 10,069

2012: 9,522

CRASHES

Up 6% last year, with more than 10,000 reported.

1. Wellington/Commissioners: 84

2. Richmond/Oxford: 78

3. Highbury/Oxford: 76

4. Highbury/Hamilton: 74

5. Adelaide/Oxford: 72

6. Exeter/Wellington: 68

7. Southdale/Wonderland: 65

8. Highbury/Huron: 64

9. Springbank/Wonderland: 62

10. Cheapside/Highbury: 61