As the festive party season approaches the road safety charity Brake has welcomed a police crackdown on drink and drug drivers. 

Ellen Booth, Brake senior campaigns officer, said:

“We fully support this vital crackdown on deadly and selfish drink and drug drivers. Every Christmas, and indeed every week of the year, many families are confronted by the death of a loved one, or a terrible injury, caused by drivers wilfully taking these appalling risks. We urge drivers to imagine the consequences for a second and realise it’s never worth chancing your life and other people’s.”

The breath-testing campaign carried out by police over the summer indicated a rise in drink driving, with more drivers found over the limit compared to last year.

In 2010, provisional figures suggest there were 250 deaths, 1,230 serious injuries and 9,700 total casualties directly related to drink and drug driving collisions in Great Britain.

Brake is calling on drivers to pledge to not drink a drop of alcohol or take any amount of drugs before getting behind the wheel, to help prevent needless and devastating casualties.