Police officers in North Yorkshire, UK, have completed a month-long drink-driving campaign in which they have arrested 118 people for driving under the influence, 20 more than the same period last year.
Officers have been out around the clock conducting roadside checks, carrying out traffic stops and targeting known offenders. They say the increase in offences from last year could be down to people going out to watch World Cup matches, the warm weather and effective enforcement tactics across the county.
“The high number of arrests during our campaign shows how determined we are to take drink and drug drivers off our roads,” said Roads Policing Inspector Dave Barf said. “It’s a destructive scourge that wrecks people’s lives, so I’m glad we’ve had such positive impact during our month-long campaign.
“I hope it’ll make people think twice. But unfortunately, drink and drug drivers tend only to think about themselves. I often wonder if they’d still do it if they saw what we saw – the absolute carnage of a crash scene; body parts on the carriageway; someone’s mum, dad or child lying rigid on a mortuary slab, and the heart-breaking reactions we see when we have to tell people a loved one has been killed.”
The campaign in numbers:
- 118 arrested on suspicion of drink or drug driving-related offences across North Yorkshire
- 30-day campaign, between 14 June and 14 July
- 53 charged so far, 45 bailed or released pending further investigations, 17 released with no further action
- 10 criminal convictions to date
- 48 months is the longest driving ban so far
- £3,5000 is the biggest fine given to an individual so far
- 8 out of 10 arrested were men
- Average breath reading was 70mg/100 – twice the legal drink drive limit
- 11 was the highest number of arrests within a 24-hour period. They were made within 24 hours of the England Vs Panama game.
