More than 80 charged with drink and drug driving offences during Nottinghamshire Police’s Deadly Mix campaign
Eighty four drivers were charged with drink or drug driving offences during a police operation spanning Christmas and New Year.
Nottinghamshire Police’s Deadly Mix campaign used a mixture of engagement and education, as well as enforcement, to help improve the safety of the county’s roads.
Roadside alcohol and drug tests were conducted on 168 people — with 84 of those charged with criminal offences.
The two highest alcohol readings were recorded as more than four times over the legal limit — one in Mapperley and the second a man found slumped behind the wheel of a car in Aspley, with both drivers due to appear in court in February.
The campaign was timed to coincide with the festive period as this is traditionally a time when motorists are more likely to consume excess alcohol and threaten the lives of other road users.
As part of the campaign a series of roadshow events were also held to engage directly with people enjoying a night out and warn them of the dangers of driving under the influence — including one on Newark on December 21.
Chief Inspector James Walker, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Whist it’s disappointing that so many drivers are willing to ignore decades worth of very clear public messaging around this issue — it is reassuring to know that the vast majority of drivers do behave in a responsible way.
“Police officers regularly have to deal with the tragic consequences of fatal road traffic collisions and the lives torn apart by them.
“All deaths and serious injuries on our roads are terrible in their own right, but there is something especially serious about those incidents caused by drink or drugs.
“That’s why we work so hard throughout the year to educate drivers about the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and why we put so much energy into this kind of proactive policing.
“Ultimately we can never know the real-world impact of this kind of operation, but if we have prevented even a signal fatality or serious injury over the last few weeks then this work will have been worthwhile.”
