Dozens of people were arrested in Brighton and Hove during the annual Christmas drink and drug driving crackdown, Sussex Police said today (Tuesday 10 January).
The force said: “In total, officers in Sussex made 233 arrests for drink and drug driving during the month-long crackdown in December.”
The total was almost 10 per cent lower than last year when 257 suspected drink or drug drivers were arrested but higher than the 212 who were held a year earlier.
Of the 233 arrests last month, 49 drivers were held in the Brighton and Hove area – 34 of them in Brighton, 14 in Hove and one in Falmer. Last year, the figure 60 and the year before it was 44.
During the latest crackdown, the arrests in Brighton and Hove accounted for more than one in five of those held across Sussex.
The police said: “Officers were called to 52 road traffic collisions where the driver being intoxicated behind the wheel was suspected to be a factor.
“Tragically, this included a fatal collision in which the driver was also injured and required hospital treatment.”
The deadly crash did not happen in Brighton and Hove.
Sussex Police said: “Already as part of the campaign 86 drivers have been charged with offences and have either appeared or will appear in court through January.
“Sussex Police will be publishing the names of those convicted to raise awareness of the issue and to act as a deterrent to others from committing the same offence.
“Despite the warnings, officers continued to find drivers putting themselves in danger, including one driver found vomiting in the car after consuming alcohol and another driver found smoking cannabis at the wheel in a car park.”
The force launched its “Drink Driving: Together We Can Stop It” campaign at the start of last month.
It was intended to appeal to the public’s sense of shared responsibility to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, Sussex Police said.
It called on the public to prevent drink driving by taking steps such as booking a taxi, persuading those over the limit not to get behind the wheel and reporting those who ignored these steps to the police.
The campaign coincided with Operation Limit, a national operation targeting drink and drug drivers. Op Limit involved all police forces in England and Wales increasing their presence on the roads over the Christmas and new year period.
Chief Constable Jo Shiner, who is the National Police Chiefs’ Association lead for roads policing, said: “Our campaign highlighted the dangers of drink driving but also the very easy steps people can take to prevent it from happening.
“Tragically, we have once again seen the devastating consequences that drink driving can have on our roads as one person died in a collision involving a suspected drink driver.
“The fact that there were more than 50 collisions goes to show just how dangerous driving while intoxicated through drink or drugs is.
“Every one of those motorists put their own safety and the safety of everyone else at risk.”
Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said: “It is good news to hear Sussex Police continue to take dangerous drivers off our roads but saddening to know that still so many people think this reckless behaviour is acceptable.
“Getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs is a decision that could have absolutely devastating consequences so, if you need to travel, you need to make alternative arrangements.
“With evidence of increased drug driving, it is clear we need to step up our forensic testing capacity and train more officers in the use of roadside tests so that our road networks become a safer place for all.”
The chief constable added: “My officers continue to patrol the roads 24/7, every day of the year, to prevent offenders from causing harm to themselves and others.
“We also continue to urge people to make the right choices. You can prevent the risk of drink driving by taking steps such as pre-booking a taxi, walking to a venue or having a designated driver.
“The public can also do their part to persuade a drink driver not to get behind the wheel, such as by offering to call a taxi, offering them a place to stay instead of drink driving and, if necessary, by taking the car keys away from them.
“If all those options fail, then we urge the public to report offenders to us so our officers can arrest them and take them off the roads.”
