Police carry out road safety operation in Newbury
Vehicles were pulled over on the Hambridge Road during the morning rush hour
The Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit of Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary has carried out safety checks in Newbury as part of its’ annual drink and drug driving campaign, Operation Holly.
Vehicles were pulled over on the Hambridge Road near Newbury racecourse for a variety of offences including using a mobile while driving, driving without tax and even misted up windows.
As a result of Op Holly last year, 527 breath tests and 105 drug wipes were carried out in the Thames Valley. Of those breath tests, 27 were positive and of the drug wipes, 68 were positive.
Sergeant Dave Hazlett, Road Safety Sergeant, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said:
“Every year we run Op Holly and every year we find that people still take to the roads having drank too much alcohol or having taken drugs that will impair their driving.
“Having even the slightest amount of alcohol or drugs in your system can have an effect on your ability to drive and will make it more likely that you or another road user could be injured, or in the most serious cases, killed.
“Not only is it important to plan how you are going to get home after drinking so that you are not getting behind the wheel, it is also important to plan the morning after.
“It’s always possible that you may still be over the limit the next morning. It can take hours for alcohol to leave your system and some drugs can stay in your system for a considerable amount of time too.
“Therefore, this festive season, please plan your journeys and think about how you are going to get home to prevent the possibility of families facing Christmas and the future without their loved ones.
“Don’t drink or drug drive – It’s not worth the risk.
“If you know of anyone who is drink or drug driving call 999 in an emergency, 101 with information or report via Crimestoppers.”