More to lose for drink-drug drivers this summer
With long evenings, warmer weather and plenty going on to entice us out and about, chances are you will be heading off on some kind of road trip this summer.
Whether travelling to friends for a barbeque, meeting colleagues after work or taking off for one of the many music festivals or sports events on around the country, it is a time for fun and relaxation in the sun (or rain!).
For some though, summertime can also mean a stronger temptation to drink or take drugs and drive. With 1 in 9 deaths on Scottish roads involving drivers who are over the legal limit, there is a strong signal from police, road safety campaigners and the public at large, that getting behind the wheel under the influence is unacceptable.
To coincide with high profile events across Scotland such as the T in the Park music festival and the Open Golf Championship at St Andrews, police are once again holding a two-week drink- and drug-driving crackdown.
All eight Scottish police forces are involved daily in taking drink- and drug-drivers off the roads but this work will be intensified during the campaign period which starts on Monday 5th July.
A tougher stance on drink-driving - initiated at the start of the Festive Safety Campaign in December 2009 - has meant drivers caught drink-driving for a second time have had their vehicles taken away for good. Now more than seven months on, 200 drivers have been caught drink-driving for a second time and more than 39 cars have been seized and forfeited.
While the festive initiative only targeted those caught drink-driving, the summer safety campaign will also include those caught drug-driving. So, drivers with a previous or pending conviction for drink- or drug driving, who get caught again drink- or drug driving, can lose their car.
And there's clearly a lot more at stake. People who choose to drink or take drugs and drive not only pose a risk to themselves and others but will also lose their licence and get an automatic 12-month ban. Not to mention the additional prospects of a criminal record for a minimum of 20 years and a fine of up to £5,000.
As Michael McDonnell from Road Safety Scotland says: "Don't let this be a summer of sorrow. When it comes to drink- or drug-driving, there is just one thing to remember – don't risk it."
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