Nearly 30 arrests for drink or drug driving in a month
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NEARLY 30 motorists were arrested for drink or drug driving in Halton through December. Cheshire police have confirmed figures for those handcuffed for taking the wheel while under the influence over the festive period.
The figures show there were 10 arrests in Runcorn and five in Widnes for drink driving.
There were a further seven arrests in Widnes and five in Runcorn for drug driving.
The figures show a slight increase from the nine drink driving and three drug driving arrests made in Runcorn in 2016.
For Widnes meanwhile, the 2017 numbers for drug driving arrests are a steep rise from those recorded in 2016.
However, the amount of drink driving arrests in the town experienced a drop from nine two years ago.
In early December, Cheshire police and Cheshire Fire And Rescue Service teamed up to highlight the dangers taking to the road while under the influence can pose and appealed to residents to adopt a ‘none for the road’ motto.
Superintendent Paul Beauchamp, Cheshire police’s taskforce lead, said: “Year after year we hear about people who think they are safe to drive after a couple of drinks because they don’t ‘feel’ affected by the alcohol they’ve consumed. It’s a common place response to our officers, but it’s also wrong.
“We’re not trying to spoil people’s fun here. We know that just one drink can impact someone’s ability to deal with simple events on the roads – such as a change in driving conditions, or actions taken by other road users.
“Things can change in a blink of an eye, and if you have had a drink you won’t be in the best possible position to react to them. Sadly, we know that sometimes this can be the difference between life and death.
“Police officers join the force to help make our communities safer places, but no officer wants to tell family members that their loved one has died as a result of a collision.”
Across the county last month, there were 148 drink driving and 86 drug driving arrests – down from the 156 and 111 made in 2016.
Macclesfield experienced the most arrests for drink driving, with Crewe having the most for those caught driving while under the influence of drugs.
In December 2015, there were 13 arrests in Runcorn and 10 in Widnes for drink driving, with one and two made in each town respectively for drug driving.