An enforcement initiative targeting drink and drug driving has delivered significant results across Essex last week, as enforcement activity intensifies during the county’s busiest risk period for impaired driving.
Operation Limit, which focuses on removing unsafe drivers and vehicles from the road through highly visible, proactive enforcement, has already seen 241 drink or drug drive related arrests in the first two weeks of December. The operation continued last week, in Colchester on Friday, alongside further activity in Chelmsford on Saturday.
In Colchester, officers made ten arrests, including nine for drug driving and one individual wanted on warrant, officers also detected 69 traffic offences, predominantly for speeding. While in Chelmsford, there were 29 arrests, with 27 involving drink or drug driving, 13 vehicle seizures and 40 speeding offences, all in 30mph limits.
December consistently sees a spike in drink and drug driving across Essex, driven by increased social activity and travel to gatherings. Operation Limit is designed to address this risk head-on, ensuring unsafe drivers are stopped before serious or fatal collisions occur.
Adam Pipe, Head of Roads Policing at Essex Police, said: “The vast majority of Essex drivers are making safe, responsible choices this Christmas, planning lifts, using taxis, or leaving the car behind. However, deaths and serious injuries on Essex roads associated with drug driving have increased by 40% in the last year. Drug driving simply isn’t worth the risk. We want everyone in Essex to get home safely this Christmas, which is why this operation is so important in reducing harm and lowering risk on our roads. Every arrest represents a serious collision that may never happen, protecting families, pedestrians, and other drivers”
The SERP continues to support targeted enforcement as part of its wider commitment to road safety and its ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Essex roads.
All road users have a role to play in achieving Vision Zero and this includes preventing impaired driving, which helps to contribute to eliminating deaths and serious injuries on our roads. By making safer choices and speaking up when it matters, everyone gets home safely this festive season.
If you suspect a drink or drug driver, you can make a confidential report, visit: Help Us Help You – when and how to contact us | Essex Police
