Shock rise in drink and drugdriving
DRUG-DRIVING offences in Merseyside reached record figures during the festive period. Data from the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) shows 1,248 drug-driving arrests which were recorded in Merseyside during 2017, a considerable increase on the previous figure of 801 offences in 2016.
It was also found that 136 drivers in the region tested positive for drug-driving during December 2017, compared with 89 during the same period in 2016.
Since the introduction of roadside drug testing in 2015 in Merseyside, 2,368 drivers have been arrested for drug driving, an average of 75 detections a month.
Dr ink-dr iving offences in Merseyside also rose during the Christmas period, following a fall in the number of offences locally between 2014 and 2016.
NPCC figures show that 125 drivers were stopped during the Christmas period, compared with 111 for the same period in 2016.
In total 1,200 motorists were arrested in the region in 2017 for drink-driving.
The average age of those arrested was 30 for drug-driving and 38 for drink-driving.
Sefton was one of the areas reporting the most arrests for drink or drug-driving – 50 – as well as Knowsley/central Liverpool, where 50 arrests were made.
Rebecca Power, co-ordinator for Merseyside Road Safety Partnership, said: “The latest figures show that drug driving is clearly becoming a very serious problem in Merseyside, not only during the Christmas period but throughout the rest of the year.
“Motorists who drug-drive are just as irresponsible as those driving under the influence of alcohol and they put lives at risk, including their own, in exactly the same way.”
Me r s e y s i d e ’ s police commissioner, Jane Kennedy, added: “The figures revealed by this crackdown over the Christmas period are deeply troubling.
“It is completely unacceptable to get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs. It is irresponsible, reckless and selfish.
“Drug-drivers must take heed, roadside drug testing is being carried out and, be warned, Merseyside police will take robust action against anyone caught.
“The sentence for drug-driving, if it causes death or serious injury currently carries a sentence of up to 14 years in prison, but the anguish and heartbreak caused to the victims and their families can last a lifetime.”