Nottinghamshire Police has arrested an average of five people a day for drink and drug driving offences in the last month.
A total of 160 arrests were made for drink and drug driving offences – a very slight decrease from the 168 detentions during the same period last year.
They included:
• A 32-year-old man arrested after driving into a hedge in Gamston
• A 20-year-old man arrested after crashing into Nottingham’s Guildhall building
• A 26-year-old man arrested following a serious collision in Normanton-on-the-Wolds
• A woman who claimed, “I’m not even drunk,” after giving a positive roadside test
• A 44-year-old man caught weaving all over the road in Ravenshead while nearly four times over the legal limit
• Multiple suspects were also detained and prosecuted for failing to provide samples at the roadside and while in custody.
Those individuals are starting 2026 facing the consequences of their actions, which can include:
• Criminal convictions
• Driving bans
• Hefty fines
• Higher insurance costs
• Loss of independence
• Difficulties at work and at home
• Associated social stigma
Throughout the Christmas period, roads policing officers took a proactive approach to stopping and testing drivers on the county’s roads.
They also held roadshow events in Nottingham city, engaging with people in the night-time economy about the consequences of driving under the influence.
Sergeant Jim Carrington, of our Roads Policing Unit, said: “Despite the very familiar warnings about the consequences of driving under the influence, there are still far too many people risking others’ safety by doing so.
“As a roads policing officer, I’ve seen the most extreme consequences more times than I can remember – people killed and seriously injured as a direct result of someone choosing to drive under the influence.
“For those individuals, the consequences will almost certainly involve a prison sentence.
“For most offenders, however, the consequences are of a lesser order of magnitude – but still extremely serious and, in many cases, life‑altering.
“A drink-driving conviction will weigh heavily on people for many years to come. It can strain relationships at home and may lead directly to the loss of a job or even a whole career.
“All in all, it really isn’t worth taking the risk.”
