09 Aug 2017
Thousands of motorists caught during police summer operation against drink and drug driving
With participation from all forces across England and Wales, police ran targeted operations against drink and drug driving throughout June in which 38,807 vehicles were stopped and 35,382 breath tests administered, 10 per cent of which were positive, failed, or refused.
In line with previous campaigns, police used an intelligence-led approach with fewer tests administered but consistently high rate of criminal justice outcomes. Results from drug tests showed the highest proportion of positive tests since recording began in December 2015 (53.6 per cent).
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry, National Police Chiefs’ Council Roads Policing Portfolio said:
“Every police force in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland took part in this latest campaign using targeted, local knowledge to detect drink or drug driving offences and help prosecute thousands of offenders. We are committed to enforcing the law to educate people about the penalties they face and the serious threat to life presented by this irresponsible and dangerous behaviour.
“While we continue to see benefits of new drug driving laws and testing kits resulting in more detections, the scale of this problem remains a real concern for police. Thousands of people still attempt to drive after drinking or taking drugs – you are making a selfish decision that puts your own life and the lives of others at risk. Our message is the same all year round – don’t do it.”
|
RESULTS |
|
|
Total number of vehicles stopped |
38807 |
|
Total breath tests administered |
35382 |
|
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed |
3533 |
|
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused |
10.0% |
|
Total breath tests administered NOT involving collisions |
20541 |
|
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed |
2260 |
|
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused |
11.0% |
|
Total breath tests administered FOLLOWING collisions |
11277 |
|
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed |
936 |
|
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused |
8.3% |
|
Total number of breath tests administered to UNDER 25s |
7609 |
|
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed |
736 |
|
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused |
9.7% |
|
Total number of breath tests administered to 25 YEARS AND OVER |
23997 |
|
Total of those that were positive, refused or failed |
2298 |
|
% of total tested that were positive, failed or refused |
9.6% |
|
Total number of Drug FIELD IMPAIRMENT TESTS conducted |
320 |
|
Total of those that resulted in a Section 4 arrest |
110 |
|
% of total tested that resulted in a Section 4 arrest |
34.4% |
|
Total number of Drug screening devices administered |
2022 |
|
Total number of positive Drug screening device tests |
1084 |
|
% of total tested that were positive |
53.6% |
|
Total number of Drug screening devices administered following a collision |
243 |
|
Total number of positive Drug screening device tests following a collision |
48 |
|
% of total tested that were positive |
19.8% |
Further information
The NPCC summer drink and drug drive campaign ran from 1 June to 31 June. These figures are national and the NPCC does not issue regional or local figures, which can be obtained from the responsible police force.
Explanation of positive, refused or failed; Positive is when a driver is proven by the breathalyser to be over the legal limit Refused is when a driver refuses to give an officer a specimen of breath. Failed is when a driver offers to give a specimen of breath, but it is not sufficient to determine a result.
Contact information
Communications office
By phone: 0800 538 5058
By email: press.office@npcc.police.uk