North Yorkshire Police made 129 arrests in July as part of their summer drink and drug driving campaign, including one driver who was found to be over four times the legal alcohol limit.
The campaign, launched on 1 July, urges people to think about their choice of transport home after drinking alcohol. As well as social media action, police have increased patrols across the county to target offenders on the roads.
The most serious case involved a driver near Selby, which took place on Sunday 27 July.
At around 9:30pm, a member of the public travelling on the A19 at Escrick reported a vehicle swerving across the road with no lights on.
The vehicle was stopped on the A63 near Selby, where the driver refused to take a roadside breath test.
A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of drink driving. In custody he recorded 155 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than four times the legal limit of 35 micrograms. He was later charged and remanded in custody.
North Yorkshire Police noted that drink and drug driving is one of the main contributors in collisions, and one of the fatal five driving offences, alongside careless driving, not wearing a seat belt, excessive speeding, and using a mobile phone whilst behind the wheel.
Inspector Clive Turner from North Yorkshire Police said:
“We’re committed to making the roads in North Yorkshire safer for everyone, which is why we put in place the additional patrols in pursuit of those who put lives at risk by driving under the influence.
“Our officers are so passionate about the drink and drug driving campaigns as they have witnessed first-hand the devastating aftermath of drink and drug driving collisions; they are entirely preventable.
“This year’s summer campaign launched with us releasing a social media reel to ask the public to think about their transport options home. We have received overwhelming positive feedback about this short video, and I hope it has resonated with anyone who has considered driving after drinking alcohol.
“There is no let-up, we will continue to be relentless in our approach to targeting those people who think it is acceptable to drive when under the influence of drink or drugs”.