Of the 83,224 drivers during the month long campaign in June, 4,857 (5.8pc, more than one in 20) tested positive, refused or failed a breath test. Although this is slight improvement on last year when 6pc of those tested failed a breath test, it is not the significant drop that police officers want to see, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) .
The June campaign saw a small fall in the number of under 25s found drink driving. This is good news as there had been an increase in the number of young offenders since 2010. However, there are still more under 25’s drink driving than over 25’s: 6.7pc compared with 5.5pc. Drivers under 25 make up six million of the almost 45 million drivers in the UK.
ACPO lead on Roads Policing, Deputy Chief Constable Suzette Davenport said, “Although there has been a reduction in 2012, this reduction is not big enough. There were still almost 5,000 drivers found to be driving under the influence who have not got the message. Through our annual Christmas and summer campaigns we have consistently warned the public that drink and drug driving can kill. It can also lead to a lengthy driving ban and possible loss of jobs and livelihoods with some even facing imprisonment.
“We are disappointed that there is still a group of people who are not listening or ignoring the consequences and continuing to drink or take drugs and drive. The police will continue to work with communities to reach this group of drivers.”
Police used Field Impairment Tests to check for drivers under the influence of drugs and of those stopped on suspicion of drug driving, 22pc were arrested. Police officers are looking out for signs of drivers under the influence and they will target them with both breath tests and field impairment tests to make arrests of people who should not be on the road.
Drinking or taking drugs and driving clearly increases the risk of being involved in a collision as 8.7pc of people tested after a collision were found to be under influence compared with 5.2% for routine tests.
DCC Suzette Davenport added: “We know that drink and drugs impair judgement, reduce concentration and delay reaction speed and this is clearly leading to collisions that put people’s lives at risk. Our message is clear and simple: if you planning to go out and drink, make arrangements to avoid driving, whether that is using public transport, taking a taxi or nominating a driver who will not drink. Taking the risk is just not worth it.”
The Coalition Government Road Safety Minister Mike Penning added: “I welcome the news that the number of under 25s drink driving has fallen, however it’s clear that there’s still a lot to do. Drink and drug driving are both serious offences. Drivers should be in no doubt – if they are caught behind the wheel under the influence they risk losing their licence as well as facing a fine and a prison sentence.
“We are making it easier for the police to tackle drug driving by introducing new legislation that will create a specific drug driving offence to test for the presence of drugs in drivers. Britain’s roads are among the safest in the world but we are not complacent and I am determined to crack down on those who continue to put lives at risk.”
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) figures from June 2012 show that there are 44, 784, 122 licensed drivers in the UK and 5, 755, 223 UK drivers are under 25.
