It’s Christmas, so it’s the annual roads policing operation. Police say that officers will be out in force across the UK this festive season.
The road safety charity Brake suggests that even when someone is only just over the legal limit, they are still six times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision than someone who has drunk nothing.
Police say that they will be stopping anyone suspected of drink or drug driving, operating stop sites across the country and performing breath and drug testing. During last year’s operation, even while the country was subject to restrictions on gatherings because of the covid pandemic, some 50,317 vehicles were stopped, with 42,613 screening breath tests and 6,217 screening drug tests administered. This resulted in 6,730 motorists caught drink or drug driving during the period of enforcement activity, with most, 58pc (3,917) of those being drink drive offences and 42pc (2,813) drug drive offences.
Dorset Police meanwhile this month are running a Lift Legend drink drive campaign, with over 50 licenced premises, mainly in Bournemouth, offering soft drinks to those who give free lifts home to friends and family after a night out; until Saturday, January 1. On the purchase of their first soft drink, drivers will be able to receive a voucher to have their second free of charge at participating venues.
Dorset Supt Adrian Leisk said: “Despite long-term reductions, drink and drug driving still accounts for 15 per cent of road deaths and almost 10,000 casualties nationally each year. During last year’s Christmas campaign, officers in Dorset carried out 475 breath tests and charged 46 people with a drink drive-related offence.
“Alongside the Lift Legend education campaign, officers will be out in force rigorously targeting those who are a danger on our roads, day or night.
“It is also important to remember that you shouldn’t seek out lifts from those you don’t know or who aren’t licenced such as through social media networks. Only get into a vehicle with someone you know and trust.
“Alcohol and drugs impair many of the functions necessary for safe driving; reaction times and spatial awareness are affected significantly. This may still be the case the morning after, depending on how much alcohol is consumed the night before and when you stopped drinking.
“If police think you are unfit to drive through consumption of alcohol, even if your breath test registers lower than the prescribed limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, you can still be arrested and may be charged with an offence. In short, you do not have to be drunk to be a drink driver. Don’t risk it.
“It’s not just you that’s at risk. You could kill or seriously injure another person. Drink driving destroys people’s lives and those of their families. Avoiding this happening is as simple as planning ahead, leaving the car at home, and using a taxi, public transport or designated driver to get home.”
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