News

22 December 2008
PUBLIC CALL TIME ON DRINK DRIVERS WHO TAKE THE RISK

THE SCOTTISH public is more willing than ever to alert the police if they suspect someone of driving after having drunk too much alcohol.

It appears that more people are prepared to contact the police or Crimestoppers to report potential drink driving incidents which could lead to serious crashes or terrible injury.

In Tayside alone half of the drivers detected as being over the limit were reported by members of the public and in Strathclyde a number of reports, including one from an off duty police officer, led to the arrest of alleged drink drivers.

Assistant Chief Constable Jim Green of Strathclyde Police, Secretary of the Road Policing Business Area of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) said: “It is becoming clear that drink driving is no longer acceptable in modern society. We are receiving a considerable number of calls from people who fear that a driver may be putting themselves or others in danger by driving while over the limit.

“It is nonsense to suggest that this is in some way wrong or vindictive. It is the best way the public has of contributing to the campaign against those who chose to flout the law and cause unacceptable danger on the roads.”

Mr Green was speaking as it emerged that 184 people were caught drink driving or refused to give a breath test in the second week of the ‘Festive Drink-Drugs Safety Campaign 2008-09’ which is down by 51 for the same period last year.

He added: “There is no room for complacency, the numbers may be down on last year but they remain unacceptably high across the country. We must continue to press home the message – Don’t Risk It!”

Since the campaign began there has been a wide variety of individuals detected including a 58-year-old school teacher stopped in East Kilbride on her way to work elsewhere in the region. Many of them have given high readings “the morning after.”

During the second week a 70-year-old female was stopped by Grampian Police and found to be over the drink drive limit while in Macduff a woman of 29 was charged with being unfit through drink, refusing to provide a breath test, breach of the peace and assault.

In Lothian and Borders a 37-year-old male was stopped near Uphall while driving a stolen JCB digger and was charged with failing to provide a specimen of breath and driving while under a lifetime ban. In another incident a driver was chased by a police dog and handler after failing to stop at a road check near Bilston. He was later found to be twice the drink drive limit.

In Central Scotland a 37-year-old female stopped in Bonnybridge for not wearing a seat belt was four times the limit while a 23-year-old male spotted having trouble parking was over three times the limit.

A CCTV operator in Dumfries spotted a group, in a car, all of whom appeared to have been drinking. A patrol stopped the vehicle and the 26-year-old driver refused a breath test and was found to be driving without insurance for which he was later fined £750 and disqualified for 18 months.

In Fife a 47-year-old female was detected at three times the limit after losing control of her car on the M90 while in Northern area a 27-year-old man was arrested for driving a stolen car, having no driving licence and being three times the limit.

In Tayside a 41-year-old female stopped at Arbroath was found to be three times the limit, a 25-year-old male was charged with driving offences including being twice the limit in Perth and a 17-year-old male riding a motorcycle in a Monifeith park, was twice the limit.

In Strathclyde a police chase through Airdrie and Coatbridge led to the arrest of a driver who was over the limit while a 35-year-old female who left the scene of a minor road crash in Glasgow was traced and found to be twice the limit. On the M77 a male driver was spotted swerving between lanes by an off duty police officer and was later stopped and found to be three times the limit. A 48-year-old female was stopped for a red light offence and gave a reading in excess of three times the limit. A man aged 29, who collided with other vehicles after failing to obey a traffic signal, ran off and was apprehended by members of the public, was later found to be three times the limit.