With the festive celebrations fast approaching, on 1 December South Yorkshire Police launches its winter drink and drug driving enforcement campaign. The month-long campaign will highlight the dangers of drink/drug driving and the consequences of ignoring their advice.

During the festive period, police officers will be enforcing breath tests if they suspect; a moving traffic offence, a motorist driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs or following a collision. In addition, road traffic officers will be inviting drivers to voluntarily take a breath test as a way of educating drivers and reinforcing the drink drive message.

Drink-related road deaths are nationally still far too high, despite repeated publicity. Last year an estimated 430 people (17% of all road fatalities) were killed and 1,630 seriously injured in drink drive collisions across Great Britain*.

This year South Yorkshire Police enforcement will target drivers at all times of the day, focusing particularly on those driving in the evening and first thing in the morning. In a determined effort to catch those drivers who ignore the warnings and advice police work will include educating people about the dangers of drink and drug driving as well as high profile breathalyser testing.

This highly visible police enforcement will be reinforced by an advertising campaign organised by the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership. The campaign is aimed particularly at young male drivers and encourages them not to drink like a fish: A fish could drink all day but would never dream of driving. Don’t drink drive. Materials in support of this campaign will appear across the county.

South Yorkshire Chief Inspector for Roads Policing, Andy Male, said:

“It is clear that drink driving kills people and is a factor in road traffic collisions. It is an all year round issue that takes on a special relevance and poignancy at this time of year. We hope our high profile awareness raising will help remind drivers that drinking and driving wrecks lives.

“In our summer drink drive campaign 209 people across South Yorkshire were arrested as a result of drinking and driving. I would be happy if over the festive period we had no drink or drug related serious or fatal traffic collisions and no positive breath tests. Unfortunately peoples lives will be ruined by being involved in a road traffic collision caused by a drink driver, a number of drivers will ignore our advice and be breathalysed resulting in them losing their livelihoods.”

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*Source: Road Casualties Great Britain:2008

Estimates for 2008 data are provisional. This is due to Coroners’ data being available for analysis around 18 months in arrears.