Scottish motorists defy festive drink-drive crackdown

Despite a widescale publicity campaign and the threat of vehicles being confiscated, Scottish police caught 478 drivers during their annual crackdown on drink drivers – an average of 17 a day.

The number of motorists found to be under the influence of drugs behind the wheel rose by 44 per cent on last year.

Under new laws to punish drink drivers, 104 of those motorists now face losing their cars – which will either be sold or crushed, depending on the value of the car.

Scottish footballer Barry Bannan became one of the faces of the festive drink-drive crackdown after being found guilty of crashing his Range Rover on the M1 in October while over the limit.

The 21-year-old became a campaigner after the incident saying: “It was a huge mistake” and “It will be with me for the rest of my life”.

But figures released yesterday showed that despite a television campaign by the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland (Acpos)which was backed by the Scottish Government, the message about drink driving was still not hitting home.

Chief Superintendent Kate Thomson, lead officer on drink driving for Acpos, described the situation as “deeply concerning”.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said driving under the influence of alcohol was “reckless”, “totally unacceptable” and was “putting lives at risk”, as he promised that the Scottish Government would not let up on drink drivers.

Figures released yesterday showed that 131 arrests for drink driving were made in the last week of the campaign, with 60 made in the Strathclyde region alone.

It is estimated that just more than one in seven deaths on Scottish roads involve drivers who are over the legal limit, according to the latest limits. Drink-driving fatalities cost Scotland an estimated £55 million a year. Mr MacAskill said: “Despite repeated warnings, some people are still intent on getting behind the wheel of a vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol. It is reckless, it is totally unacceptable, and it is putting lives at risk.

“The Scottish public is fed up of drink drivers and their excuses and too many lives are being lost on our roads each year through the careless actions of a few.

“Drink drivers will be met with the full force of the law – they will lose their licence, get a hefty fine and they could face a lengthy prison sentence or have their car seized and crushed. The consequences are severe and our message is clear – don’t risk it.”

The recent television campaign showed a man and a woman drinking in a bar while in a close-up shot, the man’s driving licence was cut into tiny pieces.

The warning was stark: “Get caught and you will lose your licence … and now even first-time offenders could lose their car.”

This is the third year people who have been caught drink driving face losing their vehicles. Under the system, the most expensive vehicles impounded will be sold, while the cheaper ones will be crushed.

Currently only drivers in Scotland face losing their cars, although English police forces are believed to be considering following Scotland’s lead. Chief Superintendent Thomson said: “It is deeply concerning that so many people are willing to risk their own lives and the lives of others.

“As well as receiving a criminal record, a substantial fine and an automatic 12-month ban, some of these drivers may also have their vehicle taken away for good.

“Although the campaign is now over, we will continue to target drink and drug drivers on a daily basis with patrols across the country out 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Our priority is to make our roads safe and get the message through that driving under the influence of drink or drugs is dangerous and completely unacceptable.”

A spokesman for Acpos said the rise in the number of drink drivers may partly be due to the fact that last year’s extremely snowy weather meant fewer drivers were on the roads. However, the number apprehended this year was also higher than the number of drunk drivers caught in 2009.

According to a survey on the Don’t Risk It website, 83 per cent of people understand that drink drivers can lose their vehicles and 71 per cent agree with the policy that first-time offenders are also at risk of losing their cars.

Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “It’s encouraging that this year’s campaign has taken more irresponsible people off the roads than last year but it’s a sad fact that we are still having to address this problem over 40 years after the drink driving law was introduced.

“It’s clear that people have had enough of this irresponsible behaviour and we agree with them.

“Far too many people still feel it’s acceptable to ignore the risks and put lives in danger.”