Number of women drink drivers causes concern

Is the second main headline in today's Berwickshire and it goes on


Two drivers caught in second week of Borders campaign




ALTHOUGH a fortnight when many people clocked off for Christmas and enjoyed a party of two, the number of drink drivers took a downturn in the week December 17-30.
Three drivers were caught under the influence in the Borders in the first week of the nationwide festive campaign but this fell to two over the course of the second week. This is exactly half the number of offenders who were detected at the same time last year.
And for week three there was just one, which is equal to last year's figure and and brings the total so far to five which is lower than the result for the same period in 2006.
Of the drivers caught during the past fortnight one was detected in Galashiels on December 22 and a police spokesperson has confirmed that a driver was arrested for driving under the influence in Peebles on Christmas Day.
So far the campaign is going well for G Division (Borders), with the present figures suggesting that drivers are starting to get the message about the risks and consequences of drink-driving.
However, with week four including New Year's Eve which sees more than its fair share of revellers across Scotland it's still too early to tell if the overall figure for 2007 will represent a step in the right direction.
The results for the whole of the Lothian and Borders Force area were less encouraging with 35 drivers being caught in total for week two. This is substantially higher than the figure of 28 for the same period last year.
The figures for week three follow suit with 38 drivers caught in total, up on 2006's figure of 32.
Statistics released by the Association of Chief Police Officers show that drink drivers are coming from both genders and all age groups.The total number of drivers caught under the influence so far in this year's festive crackdown stands at 657, and of this total over 100 of those caught were female.
Assistant Chief Constable Jim Green, Secretary of the ACPOs Road Policing Business Area, said: "It is a disappointing statistic that over 100 female drivers have been found to be over the drink drive limit since the festive safety campaign began. I am also alarmed at the number of young drivers detected by officers as having been drinking or taking drugs before driving.
"For many years there was a perception that middle aged male drivers were the worst offenders when it came to drink driving but our figures show that a wide spectrum of people in Scotland are taking a risk with their safety and the safety of others."

The Borders come quite well with only 6 drivers nicked over the three weeks of Christmas out of 657 in all Scotland. Mind you given the empty roads around here half a dozen cars could represent a high percentage of vehicles on the road.

I don't know about the incidence of drunken female drivers. But in my experience a very high proportion of aggressive and inconsiderate driving can be put down to the distaff side. Usually the culprit is in a 4wd and a few have FWAG* written all over them. One other Borders type is the person always complaining about dangerous drivers whilst she (in the instance I am thinking about) propels her vehicle very slowly and in a way which makes it difficult to be overtaken thus raising the blood pressure of anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck behind her.

Fortunately the person in question rarely heads towards Duns

(* Farmers' Wives and Girl Friends-Blog-ed)

The image is from Fishwick Traffic Police Files: allegedly taken through the windscreen of a car on the Fishwick Bypass on a New Year's eve. The Driver was allegedly over the limit and in possession of a half eaten Magic Mushroom

Labels: Christmas in the Borders, Drink Driving, Women drivers

  ¶ 10:19 AM