PSNI report almost 300 drink/drug driving arrests during Christmas period

By Q Radio News

The PSNI has confirmed that almost 300 people were arrested for drink/drug driving offences during its Christmas campaign.

Latest figures show 295 preliminary breath tests out of 6,699 conducted in Northern Ireland over the period resulted in arrests.

The highest alcohol reading detected was more than three and a half times over the legal limit.

#PSNI report almost 300 drink/drug driving arrests during Christmas period. https://t.co/UcXdbloKXq

— Q Radio News (@qnewsdesk) January 24, 2022

Head of Road Policing Chief Inspector Graham Dodds said:

“At the start of the campaign we told the public that we would be out across the road network focusing on those drivers who take the selfish risk of drink or drug driving.

"Almost 300 people did not heed that warning and now find themselves going into 2022 facing the consequences of their actions.

“The highest reading detected during the campaign was 124 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millimetres of breath - the legal limit being 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

"Yet again our enforcement action detected a young person, aged 16, who shouldn’t have been driving on the road, let alone driving under the influence.

“Drink or drug driving is one of the main causes of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.

"There is simply no excuse for this dangerous behaviour and we will be unrelenting in our determination to detect and arrest those drivers who shamefully put lives at risk.”