West Mercia Police targeting drink drivers over Christmas

Motorists in Worcestershire will be reminded of the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs as part of a national police enforcement operation OpLimit. West Mercia Police said enforcing the drink and drug drive law is a year-round commitment and takes place 24/7 to support the Safer West Mercia Plan. In the last three years, 23 people have died and 154 have been seriously injured in collisions across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire where alcohol has been listed as a contributory factor.

A further 12 people have been killed and 68 seriously injured in collisions where drugs have been involved. Across the three counties, police arrested 156 people in the run-up to last Christmas for being over the limit whilst behind the wheel. Superintendent Steph Brighton, for West Mercia Police, said: “It’s extremely frustrating that some motorists inexcusably still drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“There is no foolproof way of calculating how much you can drink and remain under the limit, or knowing how much an individual person can drink and still drive safely. “Any amount of alcohol can affect your ability to drive and there are numerous consequences of driving with alcohol in your system.” PCC John Campion said: “It is a sad fact that too many people die or are seriously injured on our roads.

“As set out in my Safer West Mercia Plan, I remain committed to tackling the issue to make our roads safer. “Since 2022, I have made an investment of GBP900,000 into West Mercia Police to make roads safer and I will continue to invest and support campaigns of this kind to make change.” Licensed premises across the three counties will be promoting The Only One for the Road campaign displaying beermats and posters to raise awareness and also providing a wide selection of alcohol free options.

Any businesses wishing to support the campaign and download one of the posters can visit www.wenlockspring.co.uk/home.

Police are encouraging all licensed venues to get behind the messages over Christmas and help promote alcohol-free options that are available.