ACPO has launched its annual winter campaign against motorists driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
In last year’s campaign 191,040 people were tested, with 6,550 failing the breath test. This represented a marked increase in testing, but a marked decrease in the failure rate which ACPO describes as ‘a very welcome development’.
This year, as well as enforcement activity in every part of the country, some forces will ‘name and shame’ drivers whom the CPS decides to charge.
ACPO is also endorsing a film about Harrison King, a young drink driver who has worked with Staffordshire Police to make his story the centre of their local campaign.
Chief constable Suzette Davenport, ACPO’s lead for roads policing, said: “We are moving in the right direction when it comes to people not taking the risk of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, but there is always more to be done.
“Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of Harrison King who has worked with Staffordshire Police to make his story the centre of their local campaign – a campaign I am pleased to endorse as our national flagship for this winter’s national focus month.
“Harrison risked his own life and those of others by driving while heavily under the influence, resulting in a major collision where his car crashed into a house before being impaled on railings. This left him badly injured. He was convicted of drink-driving, banned from driving, fined and given a community service order.
“But Harrison has decided to use the second chance he has so fortunately been given to send a message to others – don’t take the risk, don’t be a statistic. I applaud Harrison’s humility and his dedication to ending the scourge of drink-driving.”
Forces around the country will be running their own local campaigns.
Lancashire Constabulary is putting on display two crashed cars driven by two young men who died after crashing their vehicles while driving under the influence.
Sussex Police have released footage of a motorist failing a field impairment test while under the influence of ketamine.
West Midlands Police are highlighting the use of cannabis testing kits for those brought in on suspicion of drink/drug driving.
And South Yorkshire Police are running a broader alcohol harm reduction campaign on the four themes of drink-driving, sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.
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