Hundreds of drivers arrested in countywide drink-drive campaign
Nearly a third of all drivers stopped in roadside breath tests
over Christmas and the new year were arrested.
In total 211 motorists were held after failing roadside
breath tests between the start of December and New Year's Day this
year. That is 31% of all those tested.
Police carried out 681 tests throughout the month, compared with
1,126 last year, when 222 people were found to be
drink-driving.
That means the percentage arrested has risen sharply from 20 per
cent - or one in five - last year.
This year, a 47-year-old Thanet man was found to be more than
five times over the legal drink-drive limit when he was stopped by
police on December 2.
He blew a breath test of 148 microgrammes of alcohol in 100
millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
He was sentenced two weeks later at Thanet Magistrates’ Court
after pleading guilty to drink driving.
Magistrates
disqualified him from driving for 29 months and ordered him to
carry out 100 hours of unpaid work and pay costs.
Roads policing traffic sergeant Hannah Brown said: “Fortunately
nobody was killed or injured as a result of this particular
incident.
"But it’s regrettable that he and some other motorists choose to
ignore our constant messages about the dangers they pose to
themselves and others by drink driving.
“Driving under the influence of drink or drugs risks lives.
"If the worst was to happen and someone dies in a drink drive
related collision, there are catastrophic consequences for the
family or families left behind.
"In addition, the offender will have to live with what he or she
has done forever and may spend time in prison too."
She said at best the driver would have a criminal record, which
could affect their job prospects, insurance premiums and even their
ability to get a visa to visit other countries.
She added: "Thankfully, only a minority of motorists think that
it's acceptable to put the lives of others at risk. Most drivers
take appropriate measures to ensure that they don't have to get
behind the wheel after an alcoholic drink."
On average one person is killed in a collision on Kent’s roads
each week.
Of these, statistics show one in six of those deaths involves
someone driving under the influence of drink or drugs.
17/01/13
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