Drink Driving

[BSRU]

The police force in Avon and Somerset released the figures for their anti drink-drive campaign recently and it does not look too good.
Compared to 2010, they stopped less than half number of drivers in 2011 but their was a 54% increase in the number of drivers failing the breathalyser test.

 

[fossyant]

 

[benb]

The BBC has the numbers.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-16410377

 

[BSRU]

That stat means nothing without the actual numbers. It could in fact be less.

Ok,
2010, more than 28,000 drivers stopped, 150 drivers failed drink/drug tests.
2011 almost 12,000 drivers stopped, 231 drivers failed drink/drug tests.

It is also worrying that there was such a huge decrease in the number of drivers being stopped. In Swindon last year I saw several police operations over the Christmas period but this Christmas I did not see any, does not mean there weren't any.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The police force in Avon and Somerset released the figures for their anti drink-drive campaign recently and it does not look too good.
Compared to 2010, they stopped less than half number of drivers in 2011 but their was a 54% increase in the number of drivers failing the breathalyser test.

Could that be the result of better focused targeting - ''quality'' rather than quantity? It's still a very alarming rise though.

 

[BSRU]

Could that be the result of better focused targeting - ''quality'' rather than quantity? It's still a very alarming rise though.

I remember last year I saw a couple of morning commute police checks, checking if people were still over the limit from the night before, didn't see any this year.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm really pleased to see that England rugby have dropped Danny Care for a drink diving offence committed on new year's eve. It's about time people took this seriously.

What are the chances of the police picking up the England pack for Careless driving now....?

I'll get my coat and leave my car keys behind the bar.

 

[biggs682]

thats a big and worrying rise in one area , what about nationwide

 

[tyred]

Around here, unless you actually hit something, the chances of being done for any kind of road traffic offence is virtually non-existent due to the complete absence of traffic cops.

 

[SquareDaff]

Oddly enough I got stopped and breathalysed last night (I passed btw). Was standard practise apparently. They'd pulled me for going through a 20mph school zone at 30mph at midnight . Must have been a quiet night as according to the officers they'd been on "river watch" duty until then?!?!

Have no problems with being checked in this manner. If it saves someones life then I'm all for it.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

all the traffic cops are down here!! stopping Boab and doing him for no insurance when he did have insurance and it was proven and the insurance company had to fess up and pay up and the police return his licence and car. But am I bitter...erm...dam right I am.

There seem to have been cops all over the place all year, then during the xmas break they disappeared leaving one lone paramedic sitting in a layby all day xmas day to deal with any carnage.
Thats how I saw it anyway..and I was out on my bike a lot of the time , not in front of my telly etc.

Drink drivers are a real problem and it's sad to see the police putting buget cuts in front of lives.

 

[benb]

I'm all in favour of cars that only start with a clean breath test. A determined person could probably find a way round it, but it would work on most people who "only" have a couple.

 

[Globalti]

If you drive past the big motorway Police station on the M6 at the Preston exit and see all the parked patrol cars you will realise that all the traffic Police are sitting in their offices drinking coffee and waiting for reports of accidents. They will then race over and breathalyse both parties in the hope of netting a drink driver.

The concept of preventative patrolling has gone out of the window and the Police are now waiting for you to have an accident, no matter how small, effectively allowing the laws of chance to do their patrolling for them. There are now so few Police on patrol that you stand an excellent chance of getting away with drink driving if you don't crash your car, which explains those figures very well.

 

[upsidedown]

There's a guy who goes into our local shop and buys 4 cans of super strength lager between 9 and 10 every morning. He then gets in his car and opens the first and drinks it. I've never stood around to see how many of them he gets through. I reported this to the police, registration, times, location. They rang me back about an hour after the report to ask if he was still there. As i was on my way to work i couldn't help. He's still doing it so i guess it was too much trouble to actually send somebody to check. The police station is about 1/3 of a mile away.

 

[Archie_tect]

Why don't the Police target pubs and test people who drive out of the car park now and again?
I suppose after the first few had been stopped, people would just leave their cars there and walk away...