A Freedom of Information request by personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense shows that in December last year, Durham Police stopped 1,815 motorists suspected of drink driving.That compares with 364 breath tests in an average month.
The number of Durham motorists tested last December found to be over the limit was 93, a failure rate of one in 20.
“Christmas parties and other festive celebrations mean Police always ramp up roadside breath testing in December,” comments Hunter Abbott, MD of AlcoSense Laboratories.
“At the current drink-drive limit in England and Wales, you are 13 times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than when sober.
“If you drink four pints of medium-strong beer or four large glasses of wine, it can take as long as 14 hours for the alcohol to clear your system.
“If you’ve been drinking in the evening, don’t drive. If you’re driving the next day, test yourself with a personal breathalyser to make sure you’re clear of alcohol from the night before. One in five drink drive convictions are in the morning”.
Durham Police carried out 5,818 roadside breath tests throughout 2023, of which 815 were either positive or refused. That means 14% of motorists failed the test overall.
Nationally, there were 300 deaths on Britain’s roads where a motorist was over the drink drive limit – an alarming increase of 15% over the previous year and the highest since 2009. Drunk drivers account for 17% of all road deaths.
The Department for Transport estimate that the total number of people injured in drink drive accidents was 6,800 – also up slightly.