More than 450 people, including a 16-year-old and 81-year-old, arrested for drink/drug driving in festive crackdown

More than 450 drivers were arrested for drink or drug driving during West Yorkshire Police’s festive crackdown.
More than 450, including a 16-year-old and 81-year-old, arrested for drink/drug driving in festive crackdownMore than 450, including a 16-year-old and 81-year-old, arrested for drink/drug driving in festive crackdown
More than 450, including a 16-year-old and 81-year-old, arrested for drink/drug driving in festive crackdown

In total from December 1 2019, to January 1 2020, there were 276 arrests for drink driving and 164 arrests for drug driving.

Of these arrests, 164 were in Leeds district, 102 were in Bradford district, 73 were in Wakefield district, 59 were in Kirklees and 67 were in Calderdale.

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The youngest person arrested was 16 and the oldest person arrested was 81.

In addition to increased enforcement action on the county’s roads, West Yorkshire Police ran an awareness campaign throughout the month highlighting the potential cost of getting behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs.

This included a video with Carole Whittingham, whose son Steven died after his vehicle was hit by a driver who was under the influence of both drink and drugs. The video has been viewed over 43,000 times on Facebook.

Chief Inspector Lisa Kirkland, Head of West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said:

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“Carole’s story of the continued heartbreak for her and her family is just a snapshot of the complete devastation that an individual’s decision to drive after drinking or taking drugs can cause.

“Of the hundreds of drivers that we have arrested during our December enforcement campaign, some will have been as a result of collisions, while others will thankfully have been stopped before their impaired driving has caused harm to themselves or others.

“These drivers are facing the new year with the prospect of losing their driving licence and potentially their freedom. This is nothing though compared to a family facing a lifetime full of milestones that a loved one won’t be at.

“For the first time, we have seen nearly as many drivers arrested on suspicion of driving after taking drugs as there were drivers arrested for being over the legal drink drive limit. As one of my officers eloquently put it: ‘a bit of pot can cost you a lot.

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“While we highlight the issue of drink and drug driving over the Christmas period, our officers work year round to take drivers who break the law off our roads for the safety of themselves and other road users.”