Police warn revellers ‘Don't Drink and Drive’ this Christmas
17 Dec 2008

West Midlands Police are working with 35 of Birmingham's busiest bars and clubs to drive home the message 'Don't Drink and Drive' to revellers this Christmas.

The West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme has provided funding to buy hand stamps for all the venues taking part in the project. The stamps have been specially designed to include the message 'Don't Drink and Drive – Call a Cab' as well as the club's name and logo.

'Don't Drink and Drive' hand stamp

The use of hand stamps is already standard practice in the majority of night clubs and bars in Birmingham, to help identify paying customers. Since the anti-smoking regulations were introduced in 2007, the stamps are used more rigorously to manage the flow of customers wanting to use the authorised outdoor smoking areas.

The initiative to use hand stamps to promote safety messages was proposed to West Midlands Police by 21-year-old local student Michael Wedderburn. Michael, who has lived in Birmingham all his life, came up with the idea after hearing about a similar project in India.

He said: "I heard about an initiative in India where they used hand stamps to stamp awareness messages on the hands of customers, following a rise in drink driving offences. When the new smoking laws were introduced, I saw that hand stamps were being used a lot more to let customers in and out of clubs and bars to have their cigarettes.

"I approached the West Midlands Police press office with the idea and they were keen to implement the initiative across Birmingham."

Inspector Paul Farley, from the Casualty Reduction Scheme, added: "We want everyone to enjoy themselves and have a good time this Christmas, but we also need to encourage safe and responsible behaviour.

"This initiative is different from anything we have done in the past, and is an indirect and creative way of reinforcing the 'don't drink and drive' message to the public."

The initiative forms part of a wider crime prevention awareness campaign West Midlands Police launched earlier this month.

Lessons for young people on 'Surviving Driving'
12 Dec 2008

A road safety event for young people called Surviving Driving is to take place at the Coventry Ricoh Arena over two days in January.

Visitors will be able to talk to experts in their field with regards to road safety and talk to some of the victims involved in accidents due to speed, drink, drugs and other related issues. They will also see demonstrations from the fire service as well as have the opportunity to attempt the theory driving test to see how much they know.

The events, being organised by West Midlands Fire Service in partnership with the arena, Peugeot and West Midlands Police, will feature demonstrations of how the emergency services respond to road accidents in order to reinforce the road safety messages. A car involved in a real road accident will also be on display.

Special guest speakers will include a first team player from Coventry City FC, and Stewart Fisher, a young man who was knocked down on a night out with friends and left severely disabled. Guests will be shown dramatic footage of the actual incident.

Paul Burnham, West Midlands Fire Service’s Station Commander for Coventry South, said: “We want the young people who attend Surviving Driving to come away with an understanding of the huge responsibilities that come with being on the road and ultimately for them to be safer on the road.

"The different presentations and exhibitions at the Ricoh Arena will give them a lot of information on how to keep themselves safe and allow them to take the first steps to becoming responsible road users."

Officers from West Midlands and Warwickshire police forces will be there to give an insight into how they deal with speeding, drug and drink driving and peer pressure. They will also have with them vehicles that have been crushed as the owners did not have tax / insurance.

West Midlands Fire Service will be there to talk about the consequences of anti-social and dangerous driving and the need for all drivers to take responsibility for their actions.

The aftermath of a road accident will be discussed by West Midlands Ambulance Service representatives, and the Highways Agency will have exhibits focusing on speed.

Young people from the schools and colleges taking part in the event will be collected and transported to the arena each morning. On the second day, there will be a later session to allow parents of the young people and other interested parties to see all of the displays and demonstrations.

You can download a flyer for the event here. Anyone who would like to register an interest in attending the event is asked to e-mail survivingdriving@wmfs.net.

Christmas Drink and Drug drive campaign launched
1 Dec 2008

A road safety campaign has been launched today by the West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme. The campaign highlights the potential consequences of drink or drug driving to young motorists across the county over the Christmas period.

The campaign, called 'The End', uses a story board approach to show how choosing to drive after having consumed alcohol or drugs could bring 'The End' to much of what young people take for granted in their lives.

The campaign aims to show that alcohol and drugs impair an individual’s ability to drive safely, increasing the risk of them causing a collision and injuring or killing themselves or someone close to them.

The End (click for PDF)

The campaign will feature on bus backs, billboards and within pubs and clubs throughout the West Midlands and is supported by a series of radio adverts highlighting the dangers of driving under the influence of drink and drugs. The Casualty Reduction Scheme has also teamed up with Galaxy Birmingham to offer listeners the chance to win a night out worth over £500. To enter the competition, click here.

Driving while unfit due to drink or drugs is against the law—this applies to illegal and prescribed drugs. Many people are probably unaware of the effects of drugs on their driving ability and research indicates young people are confused by how much they can legally drink before driving.The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, but there is no failsafe guide as to how this equates to the amount you can safely drink. The amount and type of alcoholic drink, and your weight, sex, age and metabolism will all play their part. The only way to be really sure you are not impairing your driving ability is to not drink any alcohol if you are going to drive. Nationally, almost one in seven of all road deaths involve drivers who are over the legal limit.

The education campaign is supported by a crack-down on drivers who drink/take drugs and drive by West Midlands Police. Officers will be on high-visibility patrols around the region and will also be setting up a number of static checkpoints at various locations to carry out spot checks throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

Police are warning drivers that if they are foolish, selfish or reckless enough to drink and drive or take drugs and drive, they will be caught, arrested and banned—hopefully before they kill themselves or someone else.

In previous campaigns, officers have breathalysed more than 3,000 drivers in a month. All of those involved in road traffic collisions who have committed moving traffic offences or who are suspected of having alcohol or drugs in their systems will be stopped and checked during the campaign.

Lisa Newmarsh from the West Midlands Casualty Reduction Scheme said:

"The importance of this campaign speaks for itself, our priority is to reduce the number of casualties on our West Midlands roads and prevent people from being killed or seriously injured. At this time of year it is important to re-educate people of the consequences of drink or drug driving and urge drivers to stop and think before they drive under any influence—not only could they be faced with a prison sentence, they could be responsible for killing themselves or have to live with the fact they have killed or injured another innocent person."

PC Steve Rogers of West Midlands Police said:

"Our message is quite simple—if you drink and drive and think you can get away with it, you’re wrong, we will catch you out. Drink and drug driving is an issue all year but with the more relaxed atmosphere during the festive season, the temptation to offend becomes greater. We urge people not to put their friends, families or members of the public at risk by drink or drug driving. Passengers can also help by refusing to be driven by someone who has been drinking or taking drugs, and by appointing a designated driver who does not drink or take drugs. Remember that by drinking alcohol the night before you could still be over the drink drive limit well into the following day. There is no such thing as a 'safe' limit and the answer is not to drink at all if you are driving."

For more on 'The End' campaign, see our education section.