Nearly 200 Arrested in Surrey’s Christmas Crackdown on Impaired Drivers

Published on: 9 Jan, 2021
Updated on: 12 Jan, 2021

A Surrey police officer conducts a roadside breathalyser test

The Surrey Police four-week Christmas crackdown on drink- and drug-drivers has led to nearly 200 arrests across the county.

The annual campaign is aimed at educating motorists and targeting offenders.

The arrests include 83 on suspicion of drink-driving and 109 on suspicion of drug-driving.

In the same period, Sussex Police made 212 arrests, 114 on suspicion of drink-driving and 114 on suspicion of drug-driving.

Chief Inspector Michael Hodder, from the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said:

“These statistics show there is still a minority of people who think drink- and drug-driving is acceptable, with little regard to their lives or those of other people.

“There is simply no excuse for this and we will always take these incidents extremely seriously.

“Fortunately, most road-users are sensible and law-abiding but there are still some people who refuse to comply.

“It cannot be overstated how enormous the consequences of drink- and drug-driving are. Even a small amount of alcohol or drugs can impair your judgement and seriously increase the risk of you injuring or killing yourself or someone else.

“We will be identifying anyone who is arrested and convicted as a result of this campaign, and we hope this will serve as an extra deterrent to those people who refuse to stop this unacceptable behaviour.”

If you drive under the influence of drink or drugs, the consequences could include:

• Killing or seriously injuring yourself or someone else;

• A minimum 12-month ban;

• An unlimited fine;

• A possible prison sentence;

• A criminal record, which could affect your present and future employment;

• An increase in your car insurance costs; and

• Trouble travelling to countries such as the USA.

If you know someone is driving while over the limit or after taking drugs, call 999.

Police run this life-saving campaign twice a year, during the festive period and also in the summer, in addition to daily proactive patrols to tackle drink- and drug-drivers.

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