30 Jan 2018

Police stop nearly 100,000 vehicles as part of Christmas drink and drug driving crackdown

In the lead up to and throughout Christmas police forces across the country took part in annual operational activity to stop people from driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

The NPCC drink and drug drive operation ran from 1 December 2017 to 1 January 2018. Intelligence-led operations were run by every police force in England and Wales to target drink and drug driving in areas where they are more commonplace and particularly around Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

In line with previous operations, there was a continued trend in the rise of drug driving tests and a rise in the number of arrests. The intelligence-led approach has seen fewer vehicles stopped (4.7 per cent decrease) but a 3.9 per cent increase in the numbers of arrests (5922) on the December 2016 campaign (5698). Officers stopped over 98,000 vehicles and administered over 91,000 breath tests during December 2017.

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said:

“Drink and drug driving effects every part of the country so it was really important that all 44 police forces took part in this operational activity. This is part of our commitment to enforcing the law which says that if you drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs you can have an unlimited fine, disqualification from driving, and more than a decade in prison.

"This year's campaign used more intelligence led, targeted stops which resulted in slightly fewer vehicle stops than Christmas 2016 and a nearly per cent increase in arrests. Sadly this shows the high number of people who still get behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs, which is a real concern.

"Despite forces sharing heart wrenching tales of local families who face Christmas without loved ones because of drink or drug driving, the percentage of breath tests taken following a collision that were positive, refused or failed remained the same as in 2016 (9.2 per cent) - a reminder that it is never worth the risk to get behind the wheel while under the influence of alcohol or drugs."

RESULTS
	December 2017	December 2016
Total number of vehicles stopped	98,234	103,085
Total breath tests administered	91,466	94,940
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed	5,922	5,698
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused	6.5%	6%

Total breath tests administered NOT involving collisions	58,552	69,071
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed	3,507	3,688
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused	6.0%	5.3%

Total breath tests administered FOLLOWING collisions	17,138	18,978
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed	1,575	1,752
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused	9.2%	9.2%

Total number of breath tests administered to UNDER 25s	15,439	18,322
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed	1,250	1,128
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused	8.1%	6.2%

Total number of breath tests administered to 25 YEARS AND OVER	56,975	66,085
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed	3,809	3,526
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused	6.7%	5.3%

Total number of Drug FIELD IMPAIRMENT TESTS conducted	566
Total of those that resulted in a Section 4 arrest	176
% of total tested that resulted in a Section 4 arrest	31.1%
Total number of Drug screening devices administered	3885	2642
Total number of positive Drug screening device tests	1678	1279
% of total tested that were positive	43.2%	48.4%
Total number of Drug screening devices administered following a collision	540	388
Total number of positive Drug screening device tests following a collision	109	105
% of total tested that were positive	20.2%	27%

Contact information

Communications office
By phone: 0800 538 5058
By email: press.office@npcc.police.uk