A POLICE campaign aginst drink-driving saw an increase in people failing breath tests.

More than 7,000 Merseyside motorists were breathalysed during a recent four-week operation focused on drink- and drug-driving.
 

Officers say 164 of those tested were either over the legal drink-drive limit or refused to take the test. 

Last year 3,443 were tested and 84 arrested.
 
Chief Inspector John Hogan, head of roads policing, said: "These results show our determination to stamp out drink-driving in Merseyside..

"We’ve conducted more tests than ever in the mornings and evenings to get our message across to drivers that both we and the road-using public of Merseyside will not tolerate this behaviour.

"It’s disappointing  there’s been a corresponding increase in the number of drivers who choose to drink and drive and place themselves and other members of the public in danger".
 
Another concerning feature of the results is the number of younger drivers who are drinking then getting behind the wheel.. 

Five per cent of drivers under the age of 25 who were tested failed - double the overall average.

Sergeant Paul Mountford from the roads policing department said: "We know how important it is to get our messages out to younger drivers.

"They can sometimes be tempted to take risks, and we’re working with local authorities and Merseyside Fire and Rescue to counter that.

"We’re also involved with the 'Engage' driver-training scheme which is aimed at new drivers, giving them the ability to deal safely with a variety of situations.


During the operation, officers carried out 71 impairment tests on drivers who they suspected under the influence of drugs, twice as many as last year.

Eleven were arrested following these tests, which include checks on the condition of the driver’s pupils and "divided attention" tests.
 
Chief Insp Hogan said 15.5% of drivers were shown to be under the influence of drugs compared to 21% in last year's campaign, despite twice as many drivers being tested this year.


"We take this issue very seriously and have over 5,000 police officers and special constables trained to deal with these cases," he said.

"This result is a reflection of the work that the force has undertaken and we will remain committed to addressing what is an emerging national issue"
 
"The targeted campaign may have ended, but our officers will continue to robustly police our roads over the summer.

"I would ask the public to be aware of the risks of driving and drinking alcohol and to avoid using their cars when going to the pub."