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Police in Norfolk tested 400 drivers during the annual Christmas campaign with 26% (104) providing a positive result for drink or drug driving.
The month-long initiative ran between Sunday 1 December 2024 until Wednesday 1 January 2025, in conjunction with a UK-wide operation organised by the National Police Chiefs’ Council highlighting the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of drink and drugs.
The campaign urged the public to consider #IsYourLicenceWorthIt?
Messaging focused on the ‘everyday’ drink driver. This person might have had two or three pints at the pub after work, on a Friday night. They might have spent Saturday night at a Christmas party and are driving on Sunday morning whilst still over the limit. They think they’re fine to drive, they’ve only had a few but their ability to assess the road and its risks is significantly reduced.
Officers breathalysed 345 drivers across Norfolk as well as conducting 55 drug wipes.
Of those tests:
Of all the people who failed a test, 80% were male (compared to 77% last year) and 23% were under the age of 25 (compared to 15% last year).
Chief Inspector Vicky McParland, of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads & Armed Policing Team, said: “Over 100 people in Norfolk decided that they wanted to not only risk their licences but also their lives and the lives of other road users.
“There has been a disappointing increase in the number of young people committing these offences. There is a real need to fully understand the consequences of your actions. You could lose your licence, your income, your freedom and ultimately your life.
“Driving under the influence is a choice and there are always other options. We will continue to remove these offending drivers from our roads but we do ask that if you have the chance to stop someone from getting behind the wheel, you could save that person their licence or more importantly, you could save a life.
“Although we highlight drink and drug driving at this time of year, it is of course something we enforce 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These results only strengthen the need for campaigns such as this as people continue choose to take such unnecessary risks whilst being fully aware of the dangers.”
Sarah Taylor, Police & Crime Commissioner for Norfolk, said: “Regular campaigns over the festive period are crucial in keeping our roads safe. There’s clearly much more work to be done to educate people. In the meantime, we must encourage family and friends in our communities to stop people they know from getting behind the wheel intoxicated.”
We understand that you may be close to someone who regularly gets behind the wheel under the influence of drugs or alcohol and this can make it difficult to speak to police. You can report drink and drug driving anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online here.
In an emergency, always call 999.