Arrests For 'Morning After' Drink Driving
Ten people have been arrested so far for being over the limit the morning after a night on the tiles.
The figure has been released as Hampshire Constabulary marks the third week of its anti-drink and drug driving campaign, Op Holly, with the theme ‘the morning after’.
There have been 148 arrests since Op Holly was launched on December 1, an 18.4 per cent increase on last year’s 125.
Ten of the arrests were made between 5.00am and 10.59am – the morning after a night of drinking.
Inspector Martin Goodall of Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “People need to consider when they’ll finish drinking and plan ahead. Most people wouldn’t dream of driving at 7pm if they were still drinkingand drunk at 1pm. It’s the same for those who are still drinking at 1am when they are off to work at 7am the following morning.
“Not realising you’re still over the limit won’t stop you from being banned from driving, a hefty fine and a criminal record – ignorance is not an excuse.”
In the last week [December 12-18] 940 vehicles have been stopped and 664 breath tests have been carried out. The highest number of arrests has been on Friday, Saturday and Sunday between midnight and 4:59am.
The majority of arrests on Friday alone happened after 5pm, on Saturday after 7pm and on Sunday between 9pm and 11.59pm.
Of the arrests to date, 128 [86.5 per cent] of suspects have been male and 20 [13.5 per cent] female.
Police have charged 108 people [73 per cent] with drink driving, bailed 20 suspected offenders [13.5 per cent] pending further enquiries and released 20 with no further action.
Of those arrested, 34, were aged between 21 and 25 years of age, 23 were 41 to 50 years old, 21 were aged 26 to 30, 19 were aged 31 to 35, 18 were aged 36 to 40, 13 were aged 51 to 60, 11 were aged 61and over and nine wereaged 17 to 20 years.
By area, North and East Hampshire had the greatest number of impairment arrests with 43, followed by central Hampshire – Fareham, Gosport, Winchester and Havant – with 29. Test Valley, Eastleigh and the New Forest area had25 arrests, Southampton had 24, Portsmouth 16, Isle of Wight 10 and one arrest was made by Hampshire Constabulary officers just outside the force area..
This year Hampshire Constabulary has teamed up with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service and is supporting its ‘Take Time Out’ campaign.
This guide helps motorists consider how long they should leave it before driving the morningafter the night before.
“You shouldn’t leave the planning of your Christmas or New Year’s party at your venue and outfit,” said Insp Goodall. “Think about when you will next need to drive. This may mean motorists need to switch to soft drinks earlierin the evening or take a day off to avoid the early morning drive to work.
“When all is said and done, the easiest way to ensure you’re not drunk at the wheel is to not drink before driving in the first place. If you can’t do that, use the guide, drink responsibly and don’t let that ‘one for theroad’ ruin your Christmas.”
Hampshire Constabulary is asking members of the public across the two counties to text 80999 to report anyone they suspect of drink-driving or being drug impaired behind the wheel.
The information will be received anonymously, and senders simply need to text the precise location where the driver was last seen, direction of travel if possible, and as many vehicle details as possible – most importantlythe number plate.
The number is a text-only service, and will not take phone calls but anyone witnessing a drink drive offence in progress can call 999.
To get the very latest progress and information on Operation Holly follow @HantsPolice or @HantspolRoads on Twitter or check out our Hampshire Constabulary Facebook page.