Crackdown On Summer Drink Driving

THAMES Valley Police will be launching its annual, summer drink drive campaign on Monday (30/7), aimed at people who drink a drive around parties and BBQs that take place at this time of the year.
The month-long campaign is part of a national crackdown by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Department for Transport (DfT) aimed at reducing the number of people killed and injured on our roads by people who drink and drive.
The theme of this year?s campaign is enforcement and Thames Valley Police and ACPO are hoping that the consequences of their offending will deter people from being so irresponsible. A night in the cells sobering up, followed by the possibility of being charged and going straight to court, followed by a lengthy ban are the reality.
The campaign will also link closely with the major year-long campaign, launched in May, which aims to raise awareness of the dangers of drinking too much. This initiative, which is being run by Thames Valley Police, Hampshire Constabulary and NHS South Central, is a two-pronged campaign, combining education initiatives with police enforcement. Activity will target under age drinking, anti-social behaviour, binge drinking, violent crime, the health effects of drinking and the impact on the NHS.

During the Christmas campaign (1 December 2006 to 1 January 2007), 1,926 drivers were breathalysed, with 251 drivers (13 per cent of those tested) providing positive results.

Officers will also be carrying out field impairment tests alongside the roadside breath tests to see whether drivers are under the influence of drugs. Last year, 148 tests were conducted and 26 people arrested, around 17.5 per cent.

Officers will also be recording additional information about those stopped relating to what age bracket they fall into. This data will be sent to ACPO, who will analyse it to understand the level of drink driving nationally and the correlation between age and drink driving behaviour.

Superintendent Mick Doyle, head of Thames Valley Police Roads Policing Department, said:”If you drink and then drive home you are not just putting your own life in danger, you are jeopardising the lives of other road users. We will be carrying out targeted, intelligence-led roadside tests and we also test every driver involved in a collision regardless of the time of day and whether they have been drinking or not.
“We need the help of the public to put pressure on people who are considering driving home, when they are not fit to do so, to keep themselves and the public safe. Each year around five hundred people die in Great Britain as a direct result of drinking and driving. Ask yourself, if you killed a child because of your selfishness, could you face their mum and dad? And if someone died because you didn?t stop your friend or partner from driving, how would explain your inaction to their grieving loved one?
It is not difficult to avoid drink driving, take a taxi, stay at a hotel or friend?s house or just don?t drink. If you know anyone who drinks or takes drugs and drives, call police or call the charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

So far this year, provisional police figures show that seventy four people have lost their lives in collisions on the roads of Thames Valley.

All drivers who provide a positive breath test, refuse to provide or fail to provide, face losing their licence for at least 12 months. They could go to prison for six months or pay a fine of up to