Falklands : Falklands Police Warning – DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
Submitted by Falkland Islands News Network (Juanita Brock) 12.12.2010 (Article Archived on 26.12.2010)
The Royal Falkland Islands Police are running a drink drive campaign over Christmas and the New Year. The campaign will run from Monday 13th December to Tuesday 4th January.
POLICE WARNING – DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE
The Royal Falkland Islands Police are running a drink drive campaign over Christmas and the New Year. The campaign will run from Monday 13th December to Tuesday 4th January.
During this period, police officers will be proactively targeting drivers suspected of consuming alcohol, requiring a specimen of breath and arresting them if they provide a positive breath test or fail to provide a specimen.
Commenting on the drink drive campaign, Director of Community Safety and Chief Police Officer Gary Finchett said, “We are committed to reducing the number of fatal and serious road traffic collisions that occur on our roads. Sadly, alcohol is a contributory factor in many such collisions worldwide”.
Mr Finchett stated that the main aim of the campaign was to make people think before drinking and driving saying, “Taxis are not expensive and many pubs and hotels are within walking distance. There is no excuse to drink and drive”. He stated there is no foolproof way of drinking and staying under the limit, or of knowing how much an individual person can drink and still drive safely saying, “even a small amount of alcohol impairs the ability of a person to drive safely. The only safe option is not to drink alcohol if you plan to drive”. He also urged people to never offer an alcoholic drink to someone else who is intending to drive.
Mr Finchett warned that robust action would be taken against offenders found flouting the law and putting themselves and others at risk saying, “anyone caught drink driving will be processed like any other criminal”. A conviction will lead to automatic disqualification from driving; penalties imposed by the court can include imprisonment or large fines; and the offender risks losing their job if they need to use a vehicle for work.
He also urged people to contact the police with information regarding drunk drivers saying, “If you suspect someone is drink driving, tell us. You may be saving their or someone else’s life.”
Please call 28100, your anonymity will be protected if you so wish.
Chief Superintendent Gary Finchett
Royal Falkland Islands Police
7 December 2010
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