Drink drive campaign targets more motorists

More than 3,400 drivers were tested as part of a similar campaign 12 months ago and this time around tests will be carried out on all motorists who are involved in road traffic collisions and all drivers committing traffic offences or suspected of having alcohol in their body.

Warwickshire Police along with Warwickshire County Council and road safety partnerships in West Mercia, Gloucestershire and West Midlands are promoting Over the Limit? to warn drivers of the dangers of getting behind the wheel after drinking.

Jane Marsh, whose 21-year-old daughter Kelly was killed near Kineton in 2005 as the result of a drink driving crash in which she was a passenger, said the incident had been like a tidal wave crashing through her family.

She added: “Every single day I am getting pain, I’ll never come to terms with what has happened.”

Last year 25 people died and a further 274 people were seriously injured in collisions on roads in Warwickshire.

Anyone driving at twice the legal alcohol limit is at least 30 times more likely to cause a road crash than a driver who is sober.

Sgt Kate Jackson said: “In Warwickshire four times as many people are killed in road collisions than are killed as a result of murder or manslaughter.

“Being in a road collision can be a violent and horrific experience. The victim’s families and friends may have to endure many years of distress over their sudden and unexpected loss.”

Posters, almost 300,000 beer mats and other adverts will be used in pubs and clubs throughout the West Midlands to make people think about the consequences of drink driving or driving under the influence of drugs.

Online blogs and videos of five people who unwittingly take the risk are also being used.

For more information about drink driving and the campaign, which runs until Sunday January 1, visit www.over-the-limit.co.uk