THE NUMBER of drink drivers breathalysed by Tayside Police over the festive period fell by 16% this year but there was a sharp rise in over-the-limit motorists involved in collisions, according to figures released yesterday.

There was also a drop in driving while under the influence of drugs, with one man in the 26-40 age group being detected compared to five last year.

The four-week festive road safety campaign mounted by officers saw a total of 63 drivers testing positive, 12 fewer than the previous year.

However, almost double the number of those drivers had been involved in crashes when compared with 2003, with the figure leaping from 11 to 21.

In the last week of the campaign, 13 people—one fewer than during the Christmas period—tested positive.

These included a 40-year-old man found to be more than three times over the limit after being involved in a minor collision in Dundee, and a 54-year-old woman who had managed to breach the legal alcohol limit by almost the same amount by lunchtime.

Police yesterday revealed that a provisional licence holder was traced following a minor collision and other motoring offences and was also found to be nearly three times the drink drive limit.

Another provisional licence holder traced following a similar incident was found to be over the limit and was also charged with a range of motoring offences.

In week four of the campaign in Tayside, there were a total of 10 injury collisions—one in Central Division (Dundee), four in Eastern (Angus) and five in Western (Perthshire).

Of those people breath-tested having been involved in a collision, five drivers proved positive (two each in Dundee and Angus, one in Perthshire). All were male—two in the 17 to 25 age group and three aged 26-40.

Another eight people provided positive breath tests as a result of inquiries that did not involve collisions (four in Dundee, two in Angus and two in Perthshire). Of these, seven were male (three aged 17-25, two aged 26 to 40 and two in the 41-plus age group) and one was female (41-plus).

As well as detecting drink drivers, police officers continued to clamp down all other road traffic offences that can impinge upon the safety of road users, including the wearing of seat belts, speeding and using a mobile phone while driving.

During the last week of the campaign 35 adults were reported for not wearing a seat belt. This took the four-week total to 731 seatbelt offences, almost double the 399 offences detected last year.

A total of seven people were reported for using a mobile phone while driving, bringing the four-week total to 129 offences.

There were fewer speeding offences this year with 33 people reported driving in excess of permitted limits in the last week and a further 115 drivers detected by “auto detection measures.” The total for the month-long campaign was 1010, down 947 on the 1957 speeding offences detected last year.

Chief Inspector Sandy Bowman, head of road policing in Tayside, said, “Obviously the increase in the number of persons detected not wearing seatbelts, needlessly placing themselves at risk, is very disappointing and is as a result of our targeted enforcement action across the force area.

“While the implications of not wearing a seat belt can be horrendous if an adult is involved in a collision, officers also detected five children sitting in the front and four children sitting in the rear of vehicles while not adequately restrained.

“The dangers are self-evident, no matter what type of journey you are on. Always make sure you and your passengers and children are always wearing their seat belts or restraints.

“Despite all of the educational messages, there are still far too many people failing to realise the possible consequences of driving while their full concentration is diverted away from the road and holding a mobile phone.

“An emergency situation can arise at any time and if you are holding a phone you simply cannot react the way you possibly could have if you had full control of the vehicle and your attention was not diverted.

“A collision could occur with the possibility of people being injured, perhaps unnecessarily.

“It is important to drive not just within the speed limits but at an appropriate speed for the prevailing road conditions.

“The speed limit is just that—not a target to be reached irrespective of the conditions.

“Officers throughout the force will continue to target those who flout the law by speeding, driving while under the influence of drink or drugs, who fail to wear seat belts, or who risk their own safety and that of other road users by using mobile phones while driving.”