The percentage of drivers failing the breath test fell during ACPO’s summer 2013 drink drive campaign – despite officers carrying out nearly 18,000 more tests compared with 2012.
The ACPO anti-drink and drug drive campaign ran throughout June and tasked officers across the country with breathalysing more drivers. The campaign was aimed at tackling those under 25 and day-time drinkers who were attending barbeques or weekend events.
A total of 100,892 drivers were tested last month, compared with 83,224 in June 2012. Out of those, 5,170 failed the test last month, while 4,857 failed in June 2012.
There was a slight drop in the number of drivers under 25 who failed, from 1,327 in June 2012 to 1,290 last June.
The number of those arrested after officers carried out a Field Impairment Test (FIT) for drugs fell from 63 in June 2012 to 59 this year.
Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, national lead for roads policing, said: “It is encouraging to see there is a percentage drop in those failing tests.
“However, we cannot ignore the fact that even in 2013 we had 5,170 drivers in a single month who thought it was acceptable to drive under the influence of alcohol and over the legal limit.
“The absolute disregard these drivers have for others, and the potential damage they cause to thousands of families up and down the country, is unacceptable.
“We run two anti-drink and drug driving campaigns a year, alongside the work carried out by Government, and yet the public still have to pay millions of pounds in police and emergency service time because these drivers don’t get the message.
“I would also ask the public to please contact police if they suspect someone of drink driving. That single phone call could save lives.”
Contact ACPO on 020 7084 8946/47/48 for more information.
Sorry to be repetitive but with roads policng desimated over the years, it comes down to conducting two high profile campaigns each and then the odd one that the rare traffic car picks up by good traffic policing.
I found it amusing on the news this morning to hear the announcement that Wiltshire Police are having ‘a day’ of high profile roads policing today to make the roads safer and catch those breaking the law.
There was a time when as a roads policing officer, my colleagues and I did that every day of the year and had excellent results.
Alan Hale – South Gloucestershire.
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Neil:
Just for clarification, this story relates to the 2013 ACPO summer drink drive campaign. The other story you refer to relates to the provisional 2012 drink drive figures.
Nick Rawlings, editor, Road Safety News
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However, the other drink drive story on this website (www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/2994.html) carries the news that drink-drive deaths increased this year.
Neil, Sussex
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Mike, the problem with statistics is that other things can skew them. The police should have a reason to stop a car and a higher percentage could indicate better initial assessment. Compare South Wales who apply this more strictly than North Wales who (some have said) appear to operate a random check routine. What is really worrying is we don’t have 5,170 drivers who are prepared to break the law each month, but that they were able to catch that number out of all those who exceed the drink drive limit.
Mark, Caerphilly
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This press release from ACPO is very misleading, in our opinion. We’ve received a detailed break down of the results which shows the % of total people tested that were positive, failed or refused following a collision has risen each year since 2011. Therefore in real terms this tells us that there has been an increase of drink driving. As the 2012 provisional results released today by DfT show too. Very worrying indeed.
Mike, from award winning http://dontbethatsomeone.co.uk (London)
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