A total of 191 drink and drug driving offences were recorded in Lanarkshire during Police Scotland’s festive campaign – the second-highest number across Scotland’s 13 police divisions.
Officers tested 50 motorists behind the wheel with blood alcohol above the limit, 15 who were driving while unfit through drink or drugs; and found 83 driving under the influence of a controlled drug above the prescribed limit, which was the highest incidence in the country.
A further 11 in total were in charge of vehicles in those three conditions, while 16 failed to provide roadside breath tests and another 16 did not provide breath, blood or urine specimens at police stations during the seven-week campaign, running from December 1 to January 19.
Lanarkshire recorded the second-highest number of offences in the majority of the police’s eight categories, largely behind the Greater Glasgow divisional area.
More than 25,000 vehicles were stopped across Scotland during the annual festive drink and drug driving campaign, with officers carrying out a total of 4779 breath tests and 963 drug wipes – around twice as many as two years ago.
A national total of 439 or 9.2 per cent of roadside breath tests returned as positive; as did 522 or 54 per cent of the smaller number of drug wipes, which are carried out only by specially-trained officers.
Roads and local policing officers jointly carried out patrols speaking to drivers and raising awareness in communities, with Police Scotland highlighting that they used “data to target key areas, responding to information from members of the public and setting up roadside checks”.
The Christmas and new year campaign was also supported by a Scottish Government marketing campaign, including the story of road crash survivor Ellen Stickle who was left paralysed by a drug driver..
Head of road policing Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan said: “Police Scotland will keep targeting drink and drug drivers and we know how important this is to the public.
“My message to people thinking about driving after taking drugs or alcohol is – you will get caught. Our officers are out every day, we will arrest you and that will affect you for the rest of your life.
“It’s your choice and it can have a devastating impact on other road users. It changes people’s lives and it is avoidable.”
She added: “Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and please continue to speak to family and friends to encourage changing the behaviour of drivers.”
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