Road Safety Campaign Focuses On Drug Driving In Merseyside

Monday 16 August saw the start of a week-long National Roads Partnership campaign that aims to raise awareness across the UK about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service teamed up with Merseyside Police to mark the regional launch of the campaign.

Crowds gathered to see a demonstration of how firefighters would carry out the controlled release of someone trapped in a car following a collision. During this exercise, they used specialist equipment to cut and remove large portions of the car’s shell to allow the safe extraction of the casualty.

Chief Inspector Paul Holden from Community Policing, said: “It’s always disheartening to see people acting so carelessly by choosing to take drugs and drive. The consequences of drug driving are the same as for drink driving and there is absolutely no excuse.

“Taking drugs severely impairs your abilities behind the wheel, affecting concentration and reaction times – all of which can have fatal consequences.

“It can take days and weeks before some drugs are out of your system completely, so even occasional users may still test positive and be guilty of driving under the influence of drugs.

“Please, keep yourselves and others safe.  Just don’t do it."

Paul Kay, Group Manager for Community Safety at Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service, said: “Every year, countless numbers of drivers are either arrested or, worse still, involved in collisions that result in serious injury or death. In 2020, our firefighters attended 605 road traffic collisions caused by a number of factors, but many of them could have been prevented.

“Never get behind the wheel of a vehicle if you have been drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs. Any drug – including prescription medication – can affect your ability to drive. Any medication that may cause drowsiness or carries a ‘do not operate machinery’ warning should be avoided when driving. If in doubt, speak to your doctor or chemist.

“We are all road users - whether that be as a pedestrian, cyclist, horse rider, driver or motorcyclist - and we are all exposed to the risk of using our roads. We must all share the responsibility and do our bit to make our roads safer. We are committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads and will continue to work alongside Merseyside Police and other partner agencies to do so.”