Police target drug drivers across Kent
Tougher measurements will begin targeting motorists that are suspected to be driving under the influence.
Transcript
00:00 Kent Police's week-long crackdown on drink and drug drivers starts today.
00:05 The force says it is a year-round priority for them, but they want to make these roads
00:10 safer.
00:11 The latest data we have for road fatalities is from 2021, and that showed for the Department
00:17 for Transport that it was a 12-year high, with an estimated 260 people losing their
00:23 lives due to a driver over the alcohol limit.
00:27 This latest crackdown will be enforced by the Road Safety Unit from Kent Police.
00:32 I spent the day with one of their patrols to find out exactly how they catch drivers
00:36 over the drink and drug limit.
00:40 It's just this vehicle in front.
00:44 It came past a little bit quick, and now he seems to be messing around, doing something
00:49 in the car, which is making his manner of driving a little bit, sort of swerving a little
00:53 bit across his lane.
00:55 It seems to be that he's messing around, but again, that would maybe constitute an
00:59 offence of not in proper control or driving without due care and attention.
01:03 On the lookout for drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
01:07 In June alone, Kent Police made 114 excess drink arrests and a further 72 arrests for
01:15 excess drug offences.
01:17 Now I'm out with the roads policing unit.
01:19 As part of the crackdown, they are going out on the roads around the clock looking for
01:24 drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
01:28 People that are under the influence of alcohol or drugs tend to be more aware of what they're
01:34 doing so they try and drive a bit more cautiously, which almost makes them stick out more.
01:39 Anyone stopped can be searched or tested for alcohol or illegal substances.
01:44 As I say, certainly people will take that risk and maybe have one or two drinks and
01:49 think it's acceptable, but they then run the risk of being pulled over or being involved
01:55 in a collision that's not even their fault.
01:58 One of the biggest things we struggle with at the moment is drug drive.
02:02 I think people finding that cannabis is more and more socially acceptable for them.
02:07 And some 10 minutes into our journey, an e-bike caught the officer's attention.
02:12 The number plate was blocked.
02:14 He's got a plate on it.
02:19 It's tiny, isn't it?
02:23 Hello, how are you?
02:28 You smell of cannabis, my friend?
02:34 Yeah.
02:35 Why is that?
02:36 Is there a reason, mate?
02:37 You're going to be detained under section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, okay?
02:41 The chap's just handed that over.
02:42 I think it's just a bit of cannabis.
02:44 Redmond's gone over to him just to speak to him about the fact his license plate is quite
02:48 obscured from the wheel.
02:51 Couldn't really read what he was saying as we were behind it.
02:54 And obviously then there's the smell of cannabis, which is what we were saying, you know, one
02:57 thing leads to another.
02:58 He will be arrested if he fails the test.
03:00 We'll have to conduct the roadside test first.
03:03 That test will test for two types of drugs, cannabis and cocaine.
03:05 The main one we're looking at in this circumstance is cannabis.
03:09 He was later arrested for drug possession offences.
03:12 He'll be taken into custody now for further questioning and a blood test.
03:17 And in other cases, consequences can be severe.
03:21 Last month, a motorist received a fine of more than a thousand pound and was disqualified
03:26 for driving for 14 months after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol
03:31 on the A2 near Cobham in December 2022.
03:34 My message is to use a taxi, use a cab, use any form of public transport to get home rather
03:39 than running the risk of driving whilst over the limit.
03:42 The impact is obvious and it's potentially fatal in the wrong circumstances.
03:47 And let's pick up on that, it is fatal, isn't it?
03:50 Yeah, absolutely.
03:51 It's one of what we call the fatal four.
03:53 So it's one of the four most likely to cause fatalities and to cause the collision which
03:58 causes fatalities.
03:59 So it's a big thing that we do target.
04:01 And it seems the message from Kent Police is very much clear.
04:05 Don't risk it.
04:06 They say it's simply unacceptable and action will be taken, as I've seen today.
04:13 Gabriel Morris for KMTV in Maidstone.