WATCH: Shocking body worn footage released by Northamptonshire Police as part of Christmas crackdown on drink driving

According to Northamptonshire Police, in 2023 offices arrested a total of 972 people on suspicion of drink driving, and between January and November of this year, a further 864 road users have been caught driving under the influence of alcohol.

The footage above includes two drivers one who said “I am drunk already”, and another who said “yes, I was drinking too much.”

Another driver informed officers that “I’ve had a little too much to drink” before providing a roadside reading of 103 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml breath. The legal limit is 35mg. While another driver was a staggering three times over the drink drive limit, and one man provided a roadside reading of 88mg despite telling officers that he had not had a drink.

Detective Chief Inspector Shelley Nichols of the force’s Specialist Operations said: “No matter how much you try to convince yourself, there’s absolutely no excuse for this type of behaviour which is purely selfish and reckless. Drink driving is just unacceptable.

“Our priority is to keep our communities and roads safer all year round however, there is always an increased risk at this time of year of people getting behind the wheel after a drink and we want to ensure everyone gets home safely to enjoy the festive season with family.

“If you think you are safe to drive after drinking or taking drugs, think again. Even the slightest amount of alcohol or drugs in your system can affect the way you drive, increasing the risk of serious harm to yourself and other road users.

“No one wants to get that terrible knock on the door to tell them someone they love is not coming home. So, the message in this video is simple - make the right choice and never drive when you’ve had an alcoholic drink.”

During last year’s festive campaign, 97 road users were charged with driving while over the alcohol limit and 37 arrested for failing a roadside drug test. This compared to 99 and 18 respectively for the same period in 2022.

From Sunday, December 1, Northamptonshire Police officers will be joining colleagues from across England and Wales for this year’s National Police Chiefs’ Council’s month-long crackdown – Operation Limit – which aims to keep roads safe over the festive period.

Officers will be carrying out extra patrols along with proactive operations and roadside checks. These will be held at different times, including early morning operations, when drivers could still be impaired from celebrations the night before.

This year’s campaign in Northamptonshire is launched with a harsh truth from the roads policing team: “Getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs is exceptionally reckless and selfish.”

As with previous years, those charged with drink or drug driving during the month-long campaign will be publicly named on the Northamptonshire Police website and its social media accounts, and in this newspaper. This acts as a deterrent.