With the first nationally coordinated month-long Summer Drink Drug initiative, Operation Spotlight, drawing to a close, the timely release of the updated Drink-driving and Drug-driving statistics for 2022 is a stark reminder of the significant need for further initiatives and an increase in road policing to protect the general public.
The latest statistics showed that in the past 5 years, deceased drivers with alcohol in their system has increased by 6% – 16% to 22% – and deceased drives with drugs in their system has increased by 3% – 19% to 22%. This shows that 1 in 5 driver deaths a day involves drink and 1 more involves drugs.
These figures don’t include casualties – meaning even more innocent people die on UK roads every day due to Drink and/or Drug drivers. With the risk of being involved in a drink-or-drug driving incident increasing, there isn’t a better time to be looking at ensuring your workforce are safe on the roads, and protecting your company, workforce and the general public.
About Operation Spotlight
Operation Spotlight, the month-long campaign which commenced on 1st July, is the first nationally coordinated Summer Drink Drug initiative, building on the significant success of the now nationally coordinated Operation Limit – the Christmas drink and drug drive campaign.
A nationally organised effort is vital with the number of people killed and seriously injured on UK roads increasing by over 20 per cent (20.23%) during the month of July over the past five years. Speeding is the biggest cause of casualties and people killed or seriously injured (often referred to as KSI’s), driving under the influence of drink or drugs is second, not wearing a seatbelt is third and fourth is using a mobile phone while driving.
Jo Shiner, Chief Constable, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing said;
“Our roads are busier in the summer due to holidays and days out, plus an increase in vulnerable road users such as cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, so this is all the more reason to drive safely and be more vigilant. We consistently see a rise in fatalities and serious injuries through these months with on average more than 2,700 people killed or seriously injured each July over a five-year period. For each one of those 2,700 people, there will be multiple friends, families and communities affected and the true impact is almost impossible to quantify.”
Ean Lewin Road Safety Campaigner and Managing Director of D.tec International, the UK’s sole distributor of DrugWipe, the global leader for police roadside driver drug screening, used by all 43 police forces in England, Wales and Scotland as well as hundreds of corporate clients said;
“D.tec is fully behind Operation Spotlight, supporting the anti-drug drive message, and leading the campaign to improve workplace safety through both drink and drug screening. This is not just about the police catching people unfit to drive in their own time. In some parts of the UK, over 50% of those caught drug driving are driving for work or to work. Remember, that all those HGV’s and vans, not to mention the millions of company cars on our roads, are legally a workplace. In most cases, someone employs the individual driving them and they should be making sure that their drivers are fit to drive, for their safety and for other road users and pedestrians.”