Festive drink drive figures revealed

5,224 stopped as part of crackdown

The proportion of people caught drink driving in the West Midlands over Christmas fell compared to the year before.

Thats despite officers stopping more than double the amount of drivers.

Out of 5,224, 447 people tested positive.

Thats 8.56% of those stopped,while the 2010 figure was 8.58%.

Inspector Greg Jennings, the force drink drive campaign lead said: "These figures show how hard officers worked over the Christmas period, carrying out nearly 3,000 more breath tests this year than last. A large number of the tests were of drivers stopped in high profile enforcement and education operations, who voluntarily underwent the procedure when offered the chance.

"We would like to thank drivers and pedestrians for the overwhelmingly positive reaction to the many drink driving operations carried out. Their verbal support encouraged officers who were often standing on the roads for hours in unpleasant conditions.

"While we saw a slight drop in the percentage of people testing positive this year, there is still a long way to go in terms of the number of people who still see fit to drink and drive. We can not stress enough the risks that people are taking when they get behind the wheel of a car having had a drink.

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