Higher number of Lincolnshire drivers under drug influence

Police in Lincolnshire have seen an incredible increase in the number of drivers operating their vehicles while under the influence of drugs.

The county’s police have tried to crack down on such behaviour by training more of their officers to detect drugs. They have also implemented a text alert program, where a person can inform the authorities if they know an individual has got into a vehicle, planning to drive, having taken drugs.

Recent figures released by the Lincolnshire police show that nine motorists were apprehended in the three weeks before Christmas for driving while under the influence of drugs. A Lincolnshire Police spokesman said, “We did have the wipes last year but we have more people trained and more people out there this year. We have had nine people [in the first three weeks of December] and that is a staggeringly high number.”

The text campaign was launched earlier this year, with the intention of making it easy for people to get in touch should they know of someone who intends to drive when either drunk or high on drugs. All they need to do is text either DRINK or DRUG along with the name of the person, where they will be driving to, and when they are planning to do so, to the number 80800. The police have emphasised that the texting service should only be used when the situation is not an emergency.