Temporary Chief Inspector Paul Arnold

Blog: West Mercia Police started its annual Christmas Drink Drive campaign earlier this month as part of the national month-long drive to reduce drink and drug driving, writes Temporary Chief Inspector Paul Arnold.

Last year the 43 forces in England and Wales breathalysed more than 223,000 people between 1st December and 1st January, with in excess of 7,500 arrests.

But the statistics only tell part of the story.

Despite numerous messages from successive governments, police forces and road safety campaigns, people are still prepared to take the risk of killing or seriously injuring themselves and others by driving whilst affected by alcohol and/or drugs.

If people think that their driving abilities are not affected by drink and drugs they should realise that 7 per cent of all people involved in road traffic collisions during last year’s campaign were arrested for drink/drug driving. The stark fact is that you are more likely to be involved in a collision if you drink and/or take drugs and drive.

The police look to significantly increase the number of breath tests it undertakes during the Christmas period, particularly with the party season in full swing. We will breathalyse you if you are driving erratically, if you commit a traffic offence and definitely if you are involved in a collision, no matter how minor.

Remember also that alcohol can affect you for many hours – if you’ve been partying into the small hours you may well still be under the influence the next morning.

Despite popular belief to the contrary there is no set limit on what you can drink and remain safe to drive. There are just too many variable factors. The only safe advice is don’t drive if you’ve had even a single drink, because then there’s no danger of falling foul of the law.

I’ve referred to drugs several times and this is because of the increased use of what are referred to as ‘recreational’ drugs, mostly be younger people. The statistics from last year show a reduced number of young people being arrested but there was still a worryingly high number arrested for drug driving.

Prescription drugs can also be a problem especially when people ignore the doctor’s orders and drink whilst taking them. If you’re unsure check with your local GP about the possible effects of drinking with your medication.

Whilst Christmas is a time of fun and we all want to enjoy ourselves I can personally attest to the fact that a single death can devastate many families – those of the perpetrator as well as those of the victim.

The saddest element of this is how avoidable it is. All of us have a responsibility to others, as well as ourselves and our families.

It’s simple: don’t drive when you’ve drunk too much or taken drugs. There are no excuses – designate a driver if there’s a group of you, arrange for a relative to pick you up, take a bus or order a taxi. Do anything but take that risk that you might regret for the rest of your life.

And finally, on behalf of everyone from Telford’s Territorial Policing Unit, please can I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.