60 motorists caught in Christmas crackdown on drink or drug driving

Police caught 60 motorists risking their own and other people’s lives by driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs during a month-long campaign.

The annual Christmas drink and drug driving crackdown ran from 1^st December 2014 to 1^st January 2015.

In Cumbria, 2,687 people were breath tested during this period. Of those tested, 2,267 were as a result of proactive road side checks and 420 were administered following a collision.

The total number of people who either tested positive, failed or refused to provide a test was 60, which equates to approximately 2.2% of tests conducted. Of those who failed, 16 were following a collision.

In the same period in 2013, 2,275 breath tests were conducted of which 73 were either positive, failed or refused, which equates to 3.2% of tests conducted. Of those who failed, 12 were following a collision.

Chief Inspector Matt Kennerley said “We conducted more tests in this year’s campaign compared to 2013 and saw the number of people caught driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs drop slightly. Whilst it is encouraging that the majority of people in Cumbria are not risking the lives of themselves and others, we are still finding some motorists driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“This year’s campaign saw the continuation of intelligence-led checks following information provided by members of the public. I would like to thank every person who contacted police over this period with concerns over a motorist’s ability to drive. I would also like to urge people to continue to contact police as a matter of an emergency if they suspect someone is driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. This information could save lives.

“A statistic that I would like to highlight is that, whilst the number of drivers caught under the influence dropped, the number of people failing a test following a collision increased. This is proof that driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs increases the likelihood of a collision.

“In 2015 we will continue to target drink and drug drivers as part of our work to make Cumbria’s roads safer.”

Chris Broadbent, from the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership, said “This is a vital campaign which we support every year to stop people from driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“The figures show that this remains a problem and one that as a partnership we have to work together in order to make our roads safer. Motorists must take responsibility for their actions and not drive a vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”

Richard Rhodes, the Police and Crime Commissioner, said “Whilst it may be encouraging that the numbers have dropped slightly, it is disappointing that people are still willing to drive under the influence of drink or drugs. I welcome the Constabulary operational policing campaign and it is only by us all continuing to work together that our roads will become safer.”

If you suspect someone is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs call police on 101 or call 999 in an emergency.