Drivers Risk £2,500 Fines Amid Increase in Stop and Searches
Police forces across the country are warning motorists that they could be slapped with huge fines following a massive operation involving ‘stop and searches’, as experts call for stricter rules to come in.
Surrey Police recorded more than 1,000 cases of vehicles being stopped during the festive period with hundreds being found guilty of drink or drug-related driving offences with one driver caught speeding up to 94mph while under the influence.
The stop and searches were part of Operation Limit, a month-long campaign to breathalyse or drug check drivers over Christmas where spikes in cases usually occur. The results found that out of the 465 breath tests and 117 drug tests conducted, 53 arrests were made, 32 of which were for drug driving.
Sergeant Dan Ayrton from Surrey’s Roads Policing Unit told the BBC: “We do get quite a lot of reports from people which is good for us because we can’t be everywhere all the time. It’s good for us to have members of the public who are willing to call and let us know.
“It’s a report that’s come in for a female that’s left a pub, allegedly been drinking all night and has left in her vehicle. We’re just trying to make it across the county to try to intercept her. We’re utilising some of the technology that’s available to us to try and track where she might be going.”
As part of the operation Wiltshire Specialist Operations, a division of the police department conducted roadside checks on drivers to help catch rulebreakers.
Under UK law, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. Drink Aware stated: “Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive and there is no reliable way to drink and stay within the limit.
“The advice from the police is clear, avoid alcohol altogether if you plan to drive. If you need to have transport, try these top tips to enjoy an alcohol-free night out.”
Drivers found guilty of driving while above the legal drink-driving alcohol limit could be hit with hefty fines of £2,500, up to three months imprisonment and a possible driving ban.
Anyone found to have caused death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol could face even more severe consequences including jail time of up to 14 years.
Wiltshire Specialist Operations shared on X: “Astonishingly, the passengers in this car were upset at our intervention with this drink driver. You’re reading it right….170ug on the breath test (161ug in Custody) at 96mph on the M4. That’s an almost unbelievable 4.6x the limit.”
In response to the incident, many drivers took to social media to share their fury. One person stated: “It’s about time the law was changed to accommodate automatic prison sentences for idiots like this and also for drug drivers.”
Another person shared that the current measures are not effective enough to deter drink or drug driving with calls for penalties to be more severe.
