100 drivers fail to heed drink-drive messages

DISAPPOINTMENT AT NUMBER OF ARRESTS DURING CAMPAIGN

MORE than 100 motorists were caught either drink-driving or drug-driving during Leicestershire Police’s summer campaign.

One motorist was four-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

New figures show 90 motorists were arrested for drink-driving and 25 for driving while unfit through taking drugs.

The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Road Safety Partnership said the results are disappointing.

One of the highest roadside breath test readings during the campaign was 166 micrograms of alcohol for every 100 millilitres of breath.

The legal limit is 35 micrograms, which means that the driver was more than four-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

Jonathan Clarkson, of the road safety partnership said: “I would urge drivers to take heed of our road safety messages.

“Disappointingly, well over 100 people have chosen to ignore this and as a result have been arrested for drinkdriving or drug-driving.

“Although our campaign ended on Sunday, patrols will continue to operate around the clock across the police force area to keep our roads safe.

“The message remains the same; if you choose to drink-drive or drug-drive you will get caught.”

Of those caught during the campaign, which ran from June 1 until last Sunday, some statistics were:

■ 32 were caught between 6am and 6pm (24 drink / 8 drug).

■ 29 involved drivers aged 24 or under (18 drink / 11 drug).

■ 31 followed a road traffic collision (28 drink / three drug) and 17 were female drivers (16 drink / 1 drug).

■ Less than half the arrests were in the city (41 drink /12 drug).

■ Charnwood (21 drink).

■ North West Leicestershire (9 drink / four drug).

■ Harborough (8 drink).