Published at 14:06, Thursday, 20 December 2012

The number of drink driving motorists caught by Cumbria police during the first two weeks of its Christmas campaign is down on last year.

In the fortnight after the crackdown was launched on December 1, 587 people were breathalysed and nine were over the legal limit, says the force.

That equates to 1.5 per cent of those breathalysed.

During the same period last year, 684 people were tested and 15 - about two per cent - produced a positive result.

Inspector David Bosson, from Cumbria’s Road’s Policing Unit, said: “The figures so far are low, which is good news but it is still disappointing that people are taking a risk and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

"Drink driving does have devastating consequences, the message is clear and simple, don’t do it, it is not worth it."

Insp Bosson added designated drivers should resist alcohol and wait until they get home to have a drink.

“By making alternative driving arrangements or taking the responsibility for being a designated driver seriously, you could prevent an accident and potentially save a life," he said.

The legal alcohol limit for drivers is 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath but it is not possible to say how much alcohol you can drink and stay below the limit.

The effect that alcohol has depends on your weight, age, sex and metabolism, the type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking, what you’ve eaten recently and your stress levels at the time.

Recent research by road safety charity Brake suggests people fail to understand that just because they have been to sleep, it does not mean they are no longer affected by alcohol. Drivers need to consider how much they have drunk and when they finished their last drink, says http://www.drinkaware.co.uk/

Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk