Wherever you are planning on seeing in the New Year, we are reminding motorists to think about how you’ll get home safely if you’re heading out for a drink.
Enforcing the drink and drug drive law continues to be a 24/7 priority for the force and many drivers are already facing the consequences of their actions this month. Officers, such as the Operational Policing Unit (OPU) will continue to crack down on any motorist who takes the risk and put their own – and other – lives in danger on our roads.
At around 2am this morning (Friday 31 December), officers patrolling the motorway were alerted to reports of a vehicle travelling dangerously on the M5.
When officers from OPU sighted the reported vehicle travelling south on the M5 near to J5 at Droitwich, it was seen to be swerving erratically and then the driver attempted to turn his car around which would have left him facing the wrong way on the motorway. As this would have meant the car was facing oncoming traffic and posing significant danger to other road users, the officers performed a tactical manoeuvre, safely stopping the car from turning towards traffic.
Inspector Darren Godsall said: ”Due to the car being stopped on the main carriageway, the road was closed for around 20 minutes while the driver, a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to provide a breath test.
“The car was removed from the carriageway, the road reopened and the man taken into custody.
“Our officers routinely see people over the legal limit driving a car and making potentially fatal decisions such as this and it’s extremely frustrating that some people selfishly choose to drive under the influence of drink or drugs. Drink or drug driving is completely unacceptable at any time and catching motorists who are prepared to take such a risk is a priority for us all year round.
“Our teams will continue to conduct patrols over New Year period in a bid to tackle those who commit the unacceptable act of drinking or drug driving. The simple fact is, there is only one way of being sure that you are safe to drive and that’s to not drink or take controlled substances at all.”
