36-year-old woman stopped by police in Redcar and Cleveland
and has topped a drink-driving league of shame for the last 12 months
A boozed-up driver was almost eight times over the legal limit when stopped by Cleveland Police, the Gazette can reveal.
The woman, aged 36, stopped by police in Redcar, has topped a drink-driving league of shame.
Details
released through a Freedom of Information request revealed Cleveland
Police’s top 10 breathalyser readings taken at the roadside in the last
12 months.
The woman clocked up a shocking 275mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35.
Ed
Turner, Temporary Chief Inspector of Cleveland and Durham Specialist
Operations Unit, said: “I am shocked and astounded by the high level of
that reading. However that is quite a unique and isolated example.
“I am delighted we managed to capture and prosecute that person.”
The
reading, which was taken last September at around 7.25pm, was a massive
126mg higher than that of the next culprit, a 33-year-old man who was
stopped at 12.15am in Hartlepool in March and tested at 149.
Others
in the highest readings included a man with a reading of 142 and three
women who tested at 141, 136 and 130, all stopped in Stockton.
Mr
Turner said: “I am really pleased we have caught these people who are
not just putting themselves at risk of harm but are putting other people
at risk. Alcohol is one of ‘the fatal four’ main contributory factors
to incidents on the road. Some are fatal accidents.”
In April last year a young soldier based at Catterick Garrison lost his life in a car crash in
Billingham.
Lance
Corporal Gordon Quigley, a 26-year-old dad from Scotland, was a
passenger in a Ford Focus driven by his pal Christopher James Howson,
who was twice over the legal drink-drive limit.
The car hit a central reservation and then a lamppost on Wolviston Road. L/Cpl Quigley died from head injuries.
Howson, of Billingham, was later jailed for five years and four months.
Mr
Turner said Cleveland Police has two drink-driving campaigns every
year, one in the summer and the other at Christmas. He said: “There does
seem to have been a been a cultural shift in what people will and won’t
condone.”
But while most people now recognise the dangers of
drink-driving and will take a taxi or appoint a designated driver, many
don’t think about the following morning.
Mr Turner said: “You really need to be careful and allow the time for the drink to get out of your system before driving.”
Laura
Woods, spokesperson for Brake, the road safety charity, said:
“Drink-driving is one of the
biggest killers on our roads, so it is
shocking to see people taking the appalling risk of getting behind the
wheel when they are so heavily under the influence of alcohol.
“Even
one drink impairs your judgment, reaction times and co-ordination –
which can have deadly consequences if you get behind the wheel.”
Brake
is calling for the existing legal limit of 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of
blood to be lowered to 20mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.
“Effectively
zero tolerance, to help end the needless deaths caused by drink-drivers
on our roads,” said Ms Woods. “The only way for drivers to be safe is
to drink nothing at all before driving – not a drop.”
Article from Gazette Live
http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/woman-8-times-over-limit-5789790
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