ACPO has today (1/12/11) launched its month-long Christmas drink and drug driving campaign, which will see officers throughout the UK breath testing thousands of drivers.

The campaign will see tests carried out at all times of the day and night, including first thing in the morning, as drivers are urged to think twice before getting behind the wheel the morning after drinking. 

Last year more than170,000 drivers were breath tested during the month-long campaign, with 6,662 arrests made – nearly 4% of those tested. 

The key message is to be responsible and not to drink or take drugs before driving. ACPO also advises groups to ensure someone remains sober and acts as designated driver. 

DCC Suzette Davenport, ACPO lead for roads policing, said: “December will see police officers across the country testing drivers at hotspots to help keep local roads safe. Anyone who decides to risk the lives of others leaves themselves open to arrest and prosecution. 

“People often ask how much they can safely have to drink before driving. The simple answer is that the only true safe drink drive limit is none. People must also be made aware that they could still be over the limit the morning after the night before. You might feel fine but you could still have alcohol in your system which could impair your driving. 

“We also want to remind drivers about the consequences of taking drugs and getting behind the wheel. Taking drugs and driving can have serious consequences. Even if you do not kill or seriously injure yourself or someone else, if you get caught you could face heavy fines or a ban, which in some cases could result in losing your job. 

“If you drink alcohol or take drugs before driving, we will catch up with you. Officers carry out breath tests throughout the year, not just at Christmas, and at all times of the day and night. I am determined to make our roads safer and this starts by removing from our roads those individuals who recklessly drink and drug drive.” 

For more information contact the ACPO press office on 020 7084 8946/47/48 (source: http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/1939.html)

Proposals to modernise the Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Scheme (DDRS) were announced today by the Driving Standards Agency.

These aim to improve both the standard of courses offered to drink-driving offenders and the way they are approved. The proposals are also intended to encourage more training providers to become involved in delivering DDRS courses, improving access to the scheme for offenders in areas with high incidences of drink-driving.

The government also intends to make the financing of the scheme fairer. Rather than the cost of administering the scheme being met by the general taxpayer, the consultation proposes that offenders should pick up the bill for this through the fees they pay to cover the cost of their training.

The overall aim is to reduce the number of re-offenders by educating them on the potential consequences of their behaviour.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning said:

“Most drivers are safe and responsible but there is a reckless minority who put lives in danger by drink driving and those drivers need to be tackled effectively.

“As well as taking action to help the police to deal with drink-drivers, we are looking at how we can reduce the likelihood of re-offending through improving the Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Scheme.

“Improving the way courses are delivered is a positive step towards achieving this and will help to ensure Britain’s roads remain among the safest in the world.”

The government’s Strategic Framework for Road Safety sets out a commitment to improve the enforcement of drink driving legislation by making DDRS courses mandatory for disqualified drink-drivers. The measures proposed in the consultation are the first step in that process.

The consultation can be found at dft​.gov​.uk/​c​o​n​s​u​l​t​a​t​i​o​n​s​/​d​s​a​-​2​0​1​1​-01