Launch of countrywide police drink and drug driving campaigns for the festive season
Traditionally, the festive season is a time of joy, feasting and companionship. Sadly, drink and drug driving increase sharply during this period, endangering the lives of people on UK roads.
To stem the risk, police across the UK launched drink and drug driving campaigns. Last year, during the month-long initiative, Sussex police arrested 233 people. Forty-nine of these arrests occurred in the Brighton and Hove areas alone.
Nationwide, the total arrests came to 2,000 drivers for 2022. Of these, police forces arrested 52 people following collisions. After the launch of the drink and drug drive campaign for 2023, Essex police arrested 30 people between 1st and 3rd December, which became 33 after static patrol checks in Loughton on 4th December.
Running throughout December 2023, this operation began on the first of the month. It is a countrywide campaign, aptly called ‘There’s No Excuse’, organised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
Consequences of drink and drug driving
Tangible evidence of how one night’s joviality and indulgence in drink or drugs can drastically alter the lives of individuals and families is plentiful. The York and North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership aims to drive this message home in December 2023 by reminding people of unopened gifts, empty seats around the dinner table, and the gaping loss of a loved one.
North Yorkshire police officers conducted 1,035 roadside tests for drink and drug driving, which resulted in 121 arrests, across 32 days. These statistics across the UK speak for themselves.
UK law enforcers are sending a clear missive: driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs of any kind is unacceptable. A campaign such as this cannot succeed or make an impact without effective alcohol and drug testing resources.
Testing for safer UK roads over the festive season
These types of seasonal roadside campaigns deal with high volumes of drivers pulled over for testing in a short space of time. If law enforcers are to test for both drugs and alcohol, they need speedy and accurate testing solutions that do the job while disrupting the flow of traffic as little as possible.
With the Matrix Diagnostics Intoximeter Alcohol Breathalyser, testing for drink driving takes only a moment. Police officers do not need extensive or time-consuming training as the intuitive device features step-by-step prompts and delivers on-the-spot results. It is even supplied with a compatible printer to print results, which streamlines legal proceedings.
Equally speedy and effective are the Matrix Diagnostics multi-drug dip cards. With this accurate solution, a urine sample can be tested for multiple common illegal substances within five minutes. It comes with a non-flood dip card that can be fully immersed, so it is easy to use.
With effective testing methods, these campaigns can make a difference during peak seasons.