Drink and drug drivers are feeling the heat after North Yorkshire Police’s summer crackdown started with a high number of arrests.
Officers have arrested 44 people suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drink or drugs since the operation began on 1 June as they patrol the roads of North Yorkshire and the City of York looking for motorists who are putting lives in danger.
Of those arrested 26 offenders have been charged to court with eight drink drivers already banned from the roads and a further two due to appear before magistrates today (15 June 2012).
Eleven suspected drink or drug drivers are currently on police bail pending further enquiries and six have been released without further action.
A 25-year-old man remains in police custody on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs after being stopped by officers on a routine patrol in Scarborough on Thursday night (14 June).
Traffic Sergeant Pete Stringer, who is coordinating the campaign for North Yorkshire Police, said:
It is astounding that despite all the warnings and well-documented dangers of drink and drug driving that people are still willing to take a chance.
While I am pleased that we have made 44 arrests at the halfway point of the campaign, I am also disappointed that some people still think that drink and drug driving is acceptable behaviour.
For most people it is completely unacceptable and I can assure anyone whether they are first time offenders or repeat offenders the police are out there looking for you and if you get caught the courts have shown that they will take an extremely dim view of your case.
TS Stringer warned that there is no accurate way of calculating when alcohol has left your system the morning after drinking. He also urged the public to get behind the campaign and report anyone they suspect of drinking or taking drugs before getting behind the wheel.
TS Stringer added:
If you don’t want to get caught the safest way is to avoid drinking any alcohol or taking any drugs at all before driving.
Even a small amount of alcohol can impair your judgement and the consequences can be devastating.
On a daily basis the public are providing us with information about people who are drinking or taking drugs before driving, I thank them for that and urge them to continue passing on that intelligence which can help us save lives.
If you would like to report a drink or drug driver, contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.
Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Court results
- A 56-year-old man from Guisborough in Cleveland was disqualified from driving for three years, fined £260 and ordered to pay £85 costs when he appeared at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday 8 June 2012. He had been arrested in the early hours of Sunday 3 June 2012 by officers who spotted him driving erratically on the A171 at Aislaby near Whitby. He gave a positive roadside breath test, recording 71 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath (the legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath).
- Another three-year ban was handed down by magistrates in Northallerton when a 26-year-old man from Barnard Castle, County Durham, appeared before them on Friday 8 June 2012 charged with drink driving. He was more than three times the legal drink drive limit when officers stopped him on Middleham Road, Leyburn, in the early hours of Saturday 2 June 2012.
- A 50-year-old man from Scarborough was banned from the roads for 25 months and fined £1140 when he appeared before the town’s magistrates on Monday 11 June 2012. Officers arrested him in the early hours Tuesday 5 June 2012 on High Barmer for being drunk in charge of a motor vehicle after finding him at the side of the road with his vehicle which looked as though it had been in collision with a fence post. He was breathalysed at the roadside and recorded a positive breath test of 99 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
- A 36-year-old man from Scarborough was banned from the roads for 12 months, fined £140 and ordered to pay £85 costs after failing to provide a sample following his arrest on Monday 4 June 2012. Officers stopped him on New Queen Street, Scarborough, after he was involved in a road traffic collision at around 8.20pm.
- A 47-year-old woman was handed a 28 month driving ban, a 24 month conditional discharge and was fined £75 costs when she appeared before Harrogate Magistrates’ Court yesterday. When officers breath tested her on Hookstone Chase on Thursday 7 June 2012 after her car rolled back into another vehicle she gave a positive reading of 119 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
- A 27-year-old man from Catterick Garrison was banned from the roads for 12 months, fined £280 and ordered to pay £85 costs when he appeared at Northallerton Magistrates’ Court on Friday June 2012. Police stopped him as he drove at speed through Richmond town in the early hours of Saturday 2 June 2012. After smelling alcohol on him, officers conducted a road side breath test and he recorded a positive reading of 58 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
- A 25-year-old Harrogate man was banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay £85 costs when he appeared at Harrogate Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 June 2012. He was arrested in the early hours of Wednesday 6 June 2012 after reversing his car into an off-duty police officer at McDonalds drive thru on St James’ Retail Park in Knaresborough. When police arrived at the scene he was breathalysed and recording a positive reading of 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
- 50-year-old woman from Driffield was banned from driving for 14 months and ordered to pay £85 costs after appearing at Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 14 June 2012. She was arrested after providing a positive sample of 53 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath when officers tested her following a road traffic collision at Foxholes.
