Essex Police is launching its summer anti-drink and drug driving campaign in partnership with the Safer Essex Roads Partnership.

Drink and drug driving can ruin lives and it is an issue Essex Police takes very seriously.

For this year’s campaign, which runs between June 1 and June 30, Essex Police has come together with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, the East of England Ambulance Service, and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance to highlight ‘How it Feels’ to deal with the consequences of drink and drug driving.

Building on the Christmas anti-drink and drug driving campaign, it aims to highlight the far-reaching consequences driving while under the influence of drink or drugs through the eyes of the emergency services which witness it first-hand.

Between April 2016 and March 2017, 1,024 people were arrested on suspicion of drink driving in Essex and 695 were arrested on suspicion of drug driving.

Adam Pipe, Casualty Reduction Manager at Essex Police, said: “Summer is a time for enjoying the good weather with friends and family and the vast majority of people will act responsibly.

“Unfortunately however, there will be people who decide the get behind the wheel having consumed drink and/or drinks and are not fit to drive.

“Their selfish and irresponsible actions could result in someone getting seriously injured or even killed and one of our officers, as well as colleagues from the fire and ambulance services, having to deal with the horrific consequences.

“The scenes our officers and other members of the emergency services witness live with them forever and the last thing they want to be doing is having to knock on someone’s door to tell them a loved one has died.

“Nine percent of RTCs in Essex are caused by someone who has been drink driving, whilst we have also seen a worrying number of people drug driving. It is reckless, thoughtless, and dangerous.

“We are better equipped than ever to detect offenders and it is only a matter of time before you are caught and brought to justice.

“We’re asking everyone in Essex to their bit to help keep the county’s roads safe. If you know someone who drives while under the influence of drink or drugs, do the right thing and call us on 101. You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

Pc Al Cuthbertson said: “It’s a strange sensation to see someone in court for causing death whilst driving with excess alcohol.

“They stand looking normal and everyday as the judge tells them how long they’ll spend in prison.

“People aren’t considered to be killers for that but getting into a car whilst under the influence of drink and or drugs is using a deadly weapon and hoping it doesn’t go wrong.

“When it does and someone dies, usually someone innocent, it ruins lives. So avoidable, such a waste and not a pleasant memory.”

Divisional Officer Neil Fenwick, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, said: “I’ve seen what road collisions do and how such a selfish action destroys lives.

“I always think about the people involved, their families and friends.

“You never forget just how many lives a collision affects and how these injuries and deaths are unnecessary and avoidable.”

Sandra Chick from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) said: “Whilst we encourage everyone to enjoy their summers, we would please ask that they do so responsibly.

“When people decide to drink and drive it is not only incredibly dangerous to themselves but also to other road users and members of the public.

“This can have a detrimental effect on the ability of the ambulance service to get to our most critically ill patients throughout the county.”

Laurie Phillipson, Essex Clinical Manager for Essex and Herts Air Ambulance, said: “The thing about driving under the influence of drink or drugs is that it’s so avoidable.

“Individuals make the choice to get behind the wheel of a car when they’re intoxicated and it’s hardest when you attend a road traffic collision that effects innocent lives.

“I’ve been doing this for eighteen years and, as a family man, the jobs that stick with me the most are when a family suffers life-changing injuries or a fatality as the result of a reckless driver under the influence.

“If you’re considering driving under the influence of drink or drugs, just think: are you prepared to risk somebody else’s life, or your own, when you get into that car?” Nicola Foster, the Chairman of SERP, said: “It’s devastating for everyone involved in a road death, whatever the circumstances.

“We urge anyone who has been drinking or has taken drugs to stay off the roads.”

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: “More people are killed on the roads in our county, including through drink and drug driving, than through all other forms of crime put together.

“Behind this shocking statistic is the even more sobering knowledge of the families and loved ones whose lives will be forever altered, the perpetrators who will face a life time of guilt and remorse and the emergency service teams who have to face the stark results of incidents.

“This is a fact that we must change and hearing ‘How it Feels’ is a powerful way to help people change their behaviour.”

Do you know someone who drink or drug drives?

Do the right thing and report them by:

  • Dialling 999 if you know someone is drunk or has taken drugs and you see them getting behind the wheel of a car
  • Calling Essex Police on 101 to give police information about someone who regularly chooses to drink and drive
  • Telling Crimestoppers anonymously about people who repeatedly drink and drive by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting www.crimestoppers-uk.org

You won’t have to give your name, no personal details are recorded and you won’t have to go to court.