'Think about your own family': Northumbria Police warn of human impact of drink and drug driving

Drivers are being urged to think long and hard about the human consequences of their actions if they get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Since 20 November, Northumbria Police officers have been patrolling some of the region's busiest roads to catch anyone who may be breaking the law throughout the World Cup and Christmas period.

The campaign has seen more than 100 drink drivers arrested so far, with 60 people being detained in just the first twelve days.

Sergeant Dave Roberts, part of Northumbria Police’s Motor Patrols team, specialises in investigating collisions that may have resulted in a serious or fatal injury.

He said: “I will forever remember every single fatality that I’ve dealt with – by name, by location. I can be driving around in my own car and remember a collision that has happened here, or a specific detail that has happened there. You live with them all and remember them in distinct detail.

“To watch somebody’s world fall apart – it gets harder every time. To see the sparkle of life disappear from someone’s eyes, it’s tough.

“There is always a cause behind every collision. Always – there’s never not. Whether it’s somebody being reckless around speed, having drank alcohol or taken drugs, or having been distracted.

“Sometimes it can be carelessness as opposed to intentionally dangerous, whether it’s braking too late when driving in ice and snow, not being aware of the conditions, or it can also be victim error.

“Very rarely do you come across a collision that isn’t avoidable. There’s always an element of 'if somebody had done something different, it wouldn’t have happened'.”

So far, Sergeant Roberts has attended eight post-mortem examinations following incidents on the region's roads in 2022. He is one of 13 investigators within his department.

He added: “When you deal with people for offences like drink driving, everybody knows they shouldn’t do it. They just don’t think it applies to them, that they haven’t drank enough to be well over the limit, or didn’t think they would be caught.

“If you get behind the wheel whilst under the influence of drink or drugs, you are lucky if you get home. In doing so, you are rolling the dice as to whether somebody gets hurt. It might go your way and it might not. But by getting behind the wheel, you’ve already lost – because you’ve taken that risk.”

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