Almost 200 drivers arrested in Derbyshire Christmas drink-drive crackdown - with one man four times the legal legal

While officers target the issue as a priority throughout the year, there is a particular focus during the festive period and in the summer months as more people get together and socialise. This year the operation began a few weeks earlier, on Monday 21 November 2022, to include the men’s World Cup, and ended on Sunday 1 January 2023.

A total of 469 roadside tests were carried out on drivers, with 174 people arrested after they were found positive for alcohol, and 41 positive for drugs. Six tested positive for both drugs and alcohol. Forty-three drivers who tested positive for alcohol, and 11 drivers who tested positive for drugs, had been involved in a collision.

Officers launched a short film as part of their Don’t Get Wrecked anti-drink drive campaign to support Op Limit. The focus of the film was to bring home the potentially fatal and devastating consequences that driving under the influence of drink or drugs can have.

The highest reading recorded was 150 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35. It’s after officers were called to Scaddows Lane in Ticknall just before 9.10pm on Sunday 8 December following reports of a car had collided with a parked vehicle. A 55-year-old man was arrested and later charged in relation to the incident and is due to appear at court in May.

Chief Inspector Dave Nicholls, who leads Derbyshire’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “The numbers of those arrested show just how important it is that we target drink and drug driving, and we will continue to take action against those who continue to take the risk. The campaign hasn’t just been about enforcement though; it has also been about raising awareness of the truly devastating consequences that drink and drug driving causes. While many people did choose to make the right choice and were found to be within the legal limits, we cannot ignore the fact that the careless actions of one individual can lead to heartache for others.