POLICE DRUG CRACKDOWN

DRINK and drug drivers are being targeted by officers with new powers to tackle offenders.

Officers have launched a crackdown on drink and drug driving in the run-up to summer. They are doing extra checks on Macclesfield roads through the month to remind drivers about the dangers and help reduce the number of casualties.

The officers are armed with extra powers to tackle the problem after new drug driving laws introduced in March.

Officers no longer have to prove whether or not a driver is fit to drive but instead can prosecute anyone found to be in charge of a motor vehicle with a concentration of an illegal drug over the specified limit in their body. All roads policing officers are now equipped with roadside drug testing kits.

Superintendent Bev Raistrick said: “Driving under the influence of either alcohol or drugs is extremely dangerous. It affects your reaction time, making it harder for you to judge your speed, your distance between you and other vehicles and notice potential hazards.

“All this means that you are more likely to be involved in a collision while driving under the influence of drink or drugs.”