Drink Driving On The Up?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
Local news badly reported drink driving results for December, apparently when a blitz against the problem was going on, despite much fewer tests.

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/11708481.Police_net_1_000_in_drink_driving_blitz/

I travel on a main road in/out of the town centre during morning/evening rush hour and never saw any police at all.

From the article it can be deduced that in December 2012 3.2% of drivers were arrested during the 2,500 or so checks, where as 5.5% of drivers were arrested in December 2014, from less than one thousand checks.

So problem getting worse and less checks going on.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Are more people drink driving, or are the dibble specifically targeting them in a different manner? I'd want to know more before making a judgement.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
From the article:

Hotspot areas have been targeted by police during the month, based on previous intelligence and information from the public about where they were most likely to see drink or drug-drivers.

Areas were covered where people were most likely to risk drinking and driving, such as certain pubs, clubs or venues with large car parks.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
There are so few Police on patrol nowadays that you can break the law with impunity as your chances of being caught are virtually zero. However if you are stupid enough to drink then drive in a popular area you are likely to be stopped in a random pub area check and if your observation is so poor that you speed past a camera, you will be fined, as you deserve to be for your bad driving. Woe betide you if you drink and cause an accident - even a fender bender is going to get you breathalysed because the Police have worked out that that's how to get the easiest results. My cycling neighbour is a PC and he tells me that for boroughs like Ribble Valley there will probably be only two Police on duty most nights; the Police rely on you cocking up and them being able to get a breathalyser to you fast.

So drive carefully and stay away from hot spots and you can do what you like. I've been certain for a few years that drink driving is quietly increasing because the fear of a random patrol has disappeared from most country roads.
 
OP
OP
BSRU

BSRU

A Human Being
Location
Swindon
So drive carefully and stay away from hot spots and you can do what you like. I've been certain for a few years that drink driving is quietly increasing because the fear of a random patrol has disappeared from most country roads.

My sister in Perth, Australia said that during the Christmas drink drive campaign the chances of being stopped and tested is 1 in 4.
 

Globalti

Legendary Member
So she gets stopped once in every four times she goes out in the car at Christmas? That must be annoying; almost as bad as driving in Nigeria where you get stopped every 5 kms by Police looking for "dash".
 
Top Bottom