Surrey’s Christmas drink-drive figures down again
24/01/2011 14:53:34
MOTORISTS are continuing to heed messages from Surrey Police and partners warning them not to drink and drive, according to figures for the Christmas and New Year period which show a drop in the number of positive breath tests during the month-long campaign.
From 1 December 2010 to 1 January 2011, 1,131 roadside breath tests were carried out, of which 50 (just under four and a half per cent) were positive. This compares to 1,769 breath tests during the 2009/10 campaign, of which 106 (just under six per cent) were positive and 1,695 tests in 2008/09 of which 150 (nine per cent approx) were positive.
Out of the total number of breath tests, 217 were given to under-25s, of which nine were positive. This compares to 472 breath tests last year, of which 32 were positive and 522 in 2008/09 of which 44 were positive.
Inspector Chris Colley, of Surrey Police Roads Policing Unit, said: “The continuing drop in the number of positive breath tests, particularly involving younger drivers, during the campaign each year is very encouraging and an indication that our combination of enforcement and targeted publicity activity is working.
“Surrey Police fully supported this year’s national Christmas drink-drive campaign with robust enforcement throughout the county and, in partnership with Surrey County Council, an eye-catching publicity campaign with a hard-hitting message ‘Drinking & Driving Shatters Lives’, which I am pleased to say seems to have made drivers think twice about drinking and driving.
“Just one drunk driver is one too many, however and we will continue to take a robust approach to tackling drinking and driving throughout the year.”
Surrey County Council Leader Dr Andrew Povey said: “Drinking and driving is stupid, selfish and dangerous. Far too many lives have been lost and far too many families devastated by people boozing before getting behind the wheel. Our Drive SMART campaign is tackling the problem of anti-social driving, including drinking and driving, so I’m pleased to see the number of people who registered positive breath tests has reduced. We will continue to work with Surrey Police to stop more lives being lost and more families losing loved ones.”
The campaign, part of Surrey’s Drive SMART initiative tackling anti-social driving, involved enforcement activity targeting any driver involved in a collision or suspected by an officer of being impaired through drink or drugs, and publicity material specifically targeting male drivers in their teens and 20s, who are most likely to drink and drive according to collision and positive breath test statistics.
Surrey’s Drinking and Driving Shatters Lives messages, including ‘He Should Have Crashed at Yours’, were heard on local radio stations and seen in cinemas, on bus backs, in pubs and bars across Surrey and on banners outside fire stations and traffic signs along major routes. The young male age group were more specifically targeted using Facebook and text advertising and in Bluetooth messaging.
Posters, wallet cards and the radio commercial were available to download on drivesmartsurrey.org.uk and thousands of the posters and wallet cards were distributed to bars, pubs and clubs across the county by Surrey Police and Surrey Fire & Rescue Service staff.
If you have any information about those driving under the influence of drink or drugs and don’t want to leave your name, call independent charity ‘Crimestoppers’ on 0800 555 111.
Call 0845 125 2222 for all non-emergency policing matters.
Call 999 if you have a genuine emergency requiring the attendance of the police (eg a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger).
Call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 if you have information about crime and don't want to leave your name.