'Completely unacceptable!' Police in Shropshire actively chasing 'selfish' drink drivers 24/7
Police in Shropshire say they are actively chasing drink drivers 24/7, as it's revealed more than 100 people were hurt or killed by over-the-limit motorists in the county between 2018 and 2020.
The latest government data reveals that in that two-year period, a total of 104 people were killed or injured in a crash in Shropshire where there was a failed breathalyser test – or the driver refused to take one.
In total, there were 76 in the Shropshire Council area and 28 in Telford & Wrekin.
Superintendent Steph Brighton of West Mercia Police said they were committed to catching those flouting both drink and drug driving rules, and expressed frustration at those who still consider the offence acceptable.
She added that the only way for drivers to be entirely safe is not to drink at all.
She said: "It’s extremely frustrating that some motorists still selfishly choose to drive under the influence of drink or drugs in the knowledge that their actions could kill or seriously injure themselves or others.
"The drink drive law and roadside breath testing has been in place for more than 40 years – and in place for 10 years for driving under the influence of specified controlled drugs.
"Drink or drug driving is completely unacceptable and identifying motorists who are prepared to take such a risk is a priority for us.
"Enforcement takes place 24/7 in order to detect those who are willing to take the risk and to protect other road users.
"The simple fact is, there is only one way of being sure that you are under the drink drive limit and that is not to drink at all."
Statistics across England show that rural communities tended to have higher drink-drive casualty rates, while they were lower in urban areas, with 12 of the bottom 14 all in London.
Rutland had the highest rate, at 7.3 per cent, while Camden had the lowest, at 0.7 per cent.
Nationally, 14,018 people were killed or injured in a drink driving collision between 2018 and 2020 – 3.6 per cent of the total number of casualties on the country's roads.
It marked a decrease from 15,133 – 3.6 per cent between 2017 and 2019.
John Scruby, trustee of the Campaign Against Drink Driving and a former police officer who has spent the last 42 years trying to prevent deaths and injuries on England’s roads, said the fall in casualties is welcome news, but that more must be done to educate people about the perils of drink and drug driving, adding: “Education is the key factor to prevent drink and drug driving.”
Mr Scruby also said greater enforcement is needed, but that it is the “final option” and has become more difficult following the decline in the number of dedicated road policing officers in the last 10 years.
The Home Office said it is putting more police on the streets to keep communities safe.
A spokesperson added: “More than 13,500 additional officers have already been recruited across England and Wales and we are on track to deliver our commitment to recruit 20,000, however the deployment of officers is an operational decision for Chief Constables.”
Rebecca Ashton, head of policy and research at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said that “we do need to do more to make the roads a safer place for people”.
Separate Department for Transport figures, which do not have local authority data, show around 20 people died in drink driving incidents in the West Midlands in 2020 – in line with the year before.
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 to reflect uncertainty in the estimates.
