Festive drink-drive curb launched

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This year's Christmas drink-drive crackdown has been launched in a bid to stem the recent rise in the number of alcohol-related road deaths.

Police will breathalyse large numbers of motorists in the next four weeks and look for drivers taking illegal drugs.

Road safety groups called for a tough new crackdown when it was disclosed 9,275 motorists were caught over the limit in the same period last year.

Drink driving seriously injures and kills 30,000 people in Britain yearly.

Club-goers targeted

In this, the 30th year of Christmas drink drive crackdowns, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and Department for Transport will target young men in particular and combine their campaigns in England and Wales for the first time.

"December is one of the highest months for both fatalities and collisions involving drunk drivers, while the number of deaths caused by drivers with illegal levels of alcohol has risen over the past few years," said Acpo spokesman on drink-driving and Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police Meredydd Hughes.

"This is unacceptable and the police will not tolerate it.

"Police will also be targeting drivers whose driving is impaired by the use of drugs, numbers of whom are increasing, particularly among young people."

When figures were released in January, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents renewed calls for the alcohol limit to be cut from 80mg to 50mg.

A campaign targeting pub and club-goers - "Drink or drive - you decide" - was launched earlier this month to encourage them to take public transport.