More than 1,000 drivers stopped in drink and drug driving clampdown

PoLICE in West Yorkshire stopped more than 1,000 motorists as part of their annual campaign to target drink and drug driving.

Hundreds of drivers were breath tested throughout December in a bid to clamp down on the problem.

During December 2013 police arrested 265 people and charged 171 of these with a drink driving offence.

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So far 77 people have been convicted, 54 of the arrests resulted in no further action and 40 people are still on bail.

Six people were asked to take field impairment tests deigned to identify people driving under the influence of drugs. Two of them were arrested as a result.

Chief Inspector Mark Bownass, head of the West Yorkshire Police’s Road Policing Unit, said: “People who drink more than the legal limit of alcohol or take drugs, and then choose to drive, put their lives at risk along with those of their passengers, pedestrians and other people on the roads.

“Although we run a targeted campaign in December, driving under the influence is something we prioritise all year round as we have seen first hand the devastation it can cause.

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“Our priority is to improve road safety and avoid unnecessary casualties. Our message to anyone who is thinking about having another drink or taking drugs before getting behind the wheel is that they could face a prison sentence and a lifetime of regret because they have hurt or killed someone as a result of their actions.”

Earlier this week police hailed a drink driving crackdown in the Bradford and Calderdale districts “a success.”

From the 571 motorists stopped during Operation Ovaldale, which ran from December to January, a total of nine were found to be over the drink drive limit.

Operation Ovaldale saw roads policing officers team up with neighbourhood policing teams to conduct morning and evening checks, carrying out tests where appropriate on those suspected of drink driving or being under the influence of drugs.

Last year in a similar operation, 12 people were arrested from a total of 509 stops.