As part of the Partnership’s #EurosFootballFriend campaign, Roads Policing officers arrested 122 drivers on suspicion of drink driving, 76 on suspicion of drug driving and 26 drivers for failing to provide a specimen, in an effort to keep roads in Essex safe.
The campaign was released in line with the Euros football championship and sought to encourage young men to plan their journeys ahead of drinking and to support their friends to make good decisions.
Former England goalkeeper, David James MBE and Inbetweeners star, Joe Thomas starred in a series of films which promoted goal setting and the use of alternative transport after drinking alcohol.
Caroline Churchouse, Communications Manager for SERP, said: “We’ve been pleased with how the campaign was received within our target audience, although still disappointed that so many still made the decision to drink or drug drive.
“However, looking at the figures for the same period for the previous year, we can only see a slight increase in drink driving and we appreciate the efforts of our Roads Policing officers with their targeted efforts to keep Essex roads safe.
“We know that friendship matters a lot to our target audience, and we encourage all young men to keep looking out for each other. You have the power to influence your friends to help keep them safe, so please remember to have difficult conversations and urge them to not get behind the wheel after a drink. It could save their life.
“Thank you to everyone who has commented, liked or shared our content during this campaign. You are helping us drive down deaths and serious injuries on our roads and together we can achieve Vision Zero.”
For the same period in 2023, Essex Police made 102 arrests for drink driving, 87 for drug driving and 29 for failing to provide a specimen.
