Drivers in Cambridgeshire are being warned they are over four times more likely to be breath tested this December than in other months. A Freedom of Information request by personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense shows that in December last year, Cambridgeshire Police stopped 779 motorists suspected of drink driving.
That compares with 180 breath tests in an average month.
The number of Cambridgeshire motorists tested last December found to be over the limit was 82, a failure rate of one in ten.
Cambridgeshire Police carried out 2,760 roadside breath tests throughout 2023, of which 627 were either positive or refused. That means nearly 23% of motorists failed the test overall, although in one month (November) the failure rate was 38%.
Nationally, there were 300 deaths on Britain’s roads where a motorist was over the drink drive limit – an increase of 15% over the previous year and the highest since 2009. Drunk drivers account for 17% of all road deaths.
“Christmas parties and other festive celebrations mean police always ramp up roadside breath testing in December,” said 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”.
Note
Hunter Abbott is also a member of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety
Sources
– Freedom of Information Request by AlcoSense Laboratories
– Department for Transport, Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain involving illegal alcohol levels 2022 (published 25 July 2024)
