Home »
News & Knowledge » 300 people arrested for drink or drug driving in West Yorkshire over Christmas
Figures show that more than 300 suspected drink or drug drivers were arrested in West Yorkshire over the Christmas and New Year period.
A total of 334 people were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drink or drugs as part of West Yorkshire Police’s annual campaign, which ran from December 1 to January 1.
Of those figures 229 were arrested on suspicion of drink driving, while 107 were arrested for suspected drug driving. A further 59 people were arrested for failing to provide a sample or specimen when stopped by officers.
The highest daily total of drink driving arrests in West Yorkshire took place on New Year’s Day (21 arrested) followed by Christmas Eve (16 arrested), while the highest daily total of drug driving arrests happened on New Year’s Eve (Nine arrested).
Some of the people who were arrested as part of the campaign have already been dealt with by the courts – and banned from driving before Christmas.
Meanwhile, four people received driving bans ranging from 12 months to three years – with fines of up to £1,065.
Five more drivers have been given interim driving bans pending pre-sentence reports, while a further 50 drivers arrested in December are due in court in the next fortnight.
Chief Inspector James Farrar, head of the Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Our 2023 campaign focused on some of the excuses people use for either drink or drug driving.
“Our officers have carried out hundreds of breath tests and drug wipes and have certainly heard plenty of excuses over the Christmas and New Year period – but the fact of the matter is there is no excuse for drink or drug driving.
“Some of the people arrested have already been banned from driving while many more will be facing driving bans and large fines in the coming weeks. This can of course have an impact on their lives in other ways.
“To the people who made the responsible decision to make sure they had a designated driver, used public transport or took a taxi rather than get behind the wheel, I’d like to thank them for helping to make West Yorkshire’s roads safer.
“Our activities to keep the roads of West Yorkshire safe will continue throughout the new year. The West Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit works all year round to ensure that reckless and dangerous drivers are taken off our roads.”
Drink driving laws UK – what the laws say
There are strict limits in place that drivers need to adhere to. According to the government website, exactly how many drinks per person will vary from person to person based on their weight, age, sex and metabolism and the rate your body uses energy.
The type and amount of alcohol can also affect your alcohol levels, as well as what you have eaten and your stress levels at the time.
The government website states the drink drive limit in England is as follows:
Micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – 35
Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood – 80
Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine – 107
Penalties for drink driving
Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink
You may get:
- 3 months’ imprisonment
- Up to £2,500 fine
- A possible driving ban
Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through drink
You may get:
- 6 months’ imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A driving ban for at least 1 year (3 years if convicted twice in 10 years)
Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood or urine for analysis
You may get:
- 6 months’ imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A ban from driving for at least 1 year
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink
You may get:
- Life imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A ban from driving for at least 5 years
- An extended driving test before your licence is returned
You will not automatically get your licence back if you’re a high risk offender.
Other problems you could face
A conviction for drink-driving also means:
- Your car insurance costs will increase significantly
- If you drive for work, your employer will see your conviction on your licence
- You may have trouble travelling to countries like the USA
Drug driving
Equally, drivers can get into trouble with the law if they are caught driving after taking drugs. These could be legal or illegal drugs if they make you unfit to drive. You could also get in trouble if you have certain levels of illegal drugs in your blood (even if your driving hasn’t been affected).
The police can stop you and make you do a ‘field impairment assessment’ if they think you’re on drugs. This is a series of tests, for example asking you to walk in a straight line. They can also use a roadside drug kit to screen for cannabis and cocaine.
If they think you’re unfit to drive because of taking drugs, you’ll be arrested and will have to take a blood or urine test at a police station. You could be charged with a crime if the test shows you’ve taken drugs.
Prescription medicines
It’s illegal in England, Scotland and Wales to drive with legal drugs in your body if it impairs your driving. It’s an offence to drive if you have over the specified limits of certain drugs in your blood and you have not been prescribed them.
Talk to your doctor about whether you should drive if you’ve been prescribed any of the following drugs:
- amphetamine, for example dexamphetamine or selegiline
- clonazepam
- diazepam
- flunitrazepam
- lorazepam
- methadone
- morphine or opiate and opioid-based drugs, for example codeine, tramadol or fentanyl
- oxazepam
- temazepam
You can drive after taking these drugs if:
- you’ve been prescribed them and followed advice on how to take them by a healthcare professional
- they are not causing you to be unfit to drive even if you’re above the specified limits
Penalties for drug driving
If you’re convicted of drug driving you may get:
- a minimum 1 year driving ban
- an unlimited fine
- up to 6 months in prison
- a criminal record
Your driving licence will also show you’ve been convicted for drug driving. This will last for 11 years. The maximum penalty for causing death by careless driving under the influence of drugs is life imprisonment.
Other problems you could face
A conviction for drug driving also means:
- your car insurance costs will increase significantly
- if you drive for work, your employer will see your conviction on your licence
- you may have trouble travelling to countries like the USA
Further reading
New Year’s Eve: 5 driving laws you need to be aware of this festive season
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Get in touch today for a no-obligation consultation. Choose one of the methods on the right-hand side of this page, or call us on 0113 200 9720 to find out how we can help you.
Paul Shemwell is a Senior Litigator who specialises in complex and high value cases.
Paul has over 20 years vast experience of all areas of Personal Injury Law and has an excellent trial success ra…
Making a Personal Injury Claim
When making a claim for Personal Injury, it is important for the Claimant to make sure that they are certain of the facts and figures before it is submitted.
View
