Police to ‘name and shame’ drivers caught breaking road rules amid urgent calls for ‘new approach’

Northamptonshire Police has launched a campaign to publicly name and shame drivers caught over the legal alcohol and drug limit during the festive period.

The force is publishing details of charged drivers on its website and social media pages as part of a four-week crackdown.

Officers described it as a “hard line approach” to keep roads safer over the Christmas and New Year period and will continue until January 2, 2025.

Extra patrols and roadside checks are being carried out at various times, including early mornings when drivers might still be impaired from the previous night.

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The latest figures from the campaign show that officers have arrested 86 drivers so far. Of these, 66 were arrested on suspicion of driving while over the prescribed limit for alcohol while 19 were arrested while unfit through drugs.

The force said the main aim of the campaign is to educate road users about the consequences of driving under the influence.

During a similar campaign last year, 97 motorists were charged with driving while over the alcohol limit and 37 were arrested for failing roadside drug tests.

It comes as new data found that 33,020 British drivers were convicted of drug-driving multiple times in the 11 years to July 2024.

The figures, obtained by the PA news agency from the DVLA, show that 3,431 motorists were caught on four or more occasions.

The data represents DG10 endorsements on driving records, which last for 11 years from the date of the offence.

Even more concerning, 54 drivers were prosecuted at least 10 times during this period. Shockingly, one driver has 18 DG10 endorsements on their driving record.

These endorsements are given to motorists convicted of driving or attempting to drive with drug levels above the specified limit.

Nicholas Lyes, policy and standards director at road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, said: “The fact that so many drivers have been caught multiple times shows the message about the dangers of drug-driving appears not to be getting through.

“We urgently need a new approach to combat drug-driving which focuses on both greater enforcement and establishing rehabilitation courses to reduce reoffending.”

He noted that those taking drink-drive rehabilitation courses are almost three times less likely to reoffend than those who don’t.

Department for Transport figures show a concerning rise in drug-driving-related deaths on Britain’s roads. The number increased from 55 deaths in 2014 to a record 134 in 2023.

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