Over 800 drivers stopped by police in festive crackdown

826 drivers in Aberdeenshire and Moray have been stopped by police, as part of their festive drink drug drive campaign.

Road users across the North East of Scotland are asked to take care during the festive period whilst travelling on the roads and with the inevitable increase in celebrations, are reminded of the dangers of drinking or taking drugs while driving, including the morning after.

With the festive drink drug drive campaign well under way throughout Scotland, road checks will be carried out at all times of the day and night.

During the first two weeks of the campaign, throughout Aberdeenshire and Moray there have been 826 motorists stopped in connection with the campaign resulting in 20 persons being detected above the legal limit. Of these, 17 were male and 3 were female with one of the male drivers providing a reading which was more than 5 times over the legal limit.

In addition to patrols in connection with the festive safety campaign, Road Policing Officers from Aberdeenshire and Moray Division, along with Officers from the Trunk Road Patrol Group, will continue to carry out high visibility patrols as part of their daily duties on some of the known collision routes throughout the region.

During last weekend officers were on patrol on the A90 and the A96 which resulted in 19 motorists being reported for speeding offences with speeds ranging between 78 and 107mph. A further 9 motorists were reported for driving whilst using a mobile phone.

These patrols are part of Operation CEDAR (Challenge, Educate, Detect and Reduce), an ongoing operation to encourage drivers to take more responsibility on the regions roads.

Inspector Ewan Innes from Aberdeenshire and Moray Roads Policing said: "The festive period is a time for families and friends to get together and quite often this involves travelling to destinations all over the UK. I would remind all road users of the need to stay safe, whether you are a driver or vulnerable road user such as a cyclist or pedestrian.

"With the shortest days now upon us it is imperative that cyclists and pedestrians ensure they are visible by wearing proper protective reflective clothing and ensuring that lights on pedal cycles are in good working order. Car drivers are also asked to drive in a responsible manner and although so far weather conditions have been mild, roads are still damp and greasy and as such you need drive accordingly.

"It is disappointing that once again I have to report on the small minority of drivers who continue to put the lives of others at risk by driving at speeds which are illegal and completely inappropriate for the conditions. Of those who were detected speeding last weekend, two males aged 23 and 25 years were reported for driving at 100mph and 107mph on the A96 near Huntly on Saturday afternoon.

"We are only too well aware of the consequences that driving in this manner can have and to drive at these speeds on a busy two way road is completely irresponsible.

"Over the next two weeks our patrols will also continue to focus on carrying on more road checks in connection with the festive safety campaign and we do these at all times of the day and night, particularly during early morning periods.

"The safety of road users is a leading priority for Aberdeenshire and Moray and this is reflected in the ongoing work under Operation CEDAR where we will continue to target and report those motorists who continue to compromise the safety of others and themselves."

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