Drink and drug drive (FOI Ref: 803/26)

I would like to obtain the following information regarding roadside drink‑driving and drug‑driving enforcement.

1. Roadside breath tests (alcohol) – monthly data

For each month from January 2015 to December 2025, please provide:

• The number of roadside breath tests conducted.
• Of those, the number that resulted in:
  • A positive result
  • A refusal/failure to provide a sample.

2. Roadside drug‑wipe tests (saliva tests) – monthly data

For each month from January 2015 to December 2025, please provide:

• The number of roadside drug‑wipe tests conducted.
• Of those, the number that resulted in:
  • A positive result
  • A refusal/failure to provide a sample.

 

3. Arrests – monthly data

For each month from January 2015 to December 2025, please provide:

• The number of arrests following:
  • A positive roadside breath test
  • A positive roadside drug‑wipe test.

 

We clarified with you on 1^st April 2026 and you responded the same day.

Your amended questions read:

1. Roadside breath tests (alcohol) – monthly data

For each month from the January 2015 (or the earliest date to this you can provide) to December 2025, please provide:

The number of roadside breath tests conducted.

• Of those, the number that resulted in:
• A positive result
• A negative result

2.Arrests – monthly data

For each month from January 2015 (or the earliest date to this you can provide) to December 2025, please provide:

The number of arrests following:
• A positive roadside breath test.

• A positive roadside drug‑wipe test
  • A refusal/failure to provide a sample for breath test and drug test

 

 

Please take in to account all arrests involving:

• Driving and excess drink/drugs
• Being in charge of a vehicle with excess drink/drugs.
• Driving and being unfit through drink/drugs

Response

Please find enclosed our response.

1. Roadside breath tests (alcohol) – monthly data

For each month from the January 2015 (or the earliest date to this you can provide) to December 2025, please provide:

The number of roadside breath tests conducted.

• Of those, the number that resulted in:
• A positive result
• A negative result

Alcometer download	Jan-15	Feb-15	Mar-15	Apr-15	May-15	Jun-15	Jul-15	Aug-15	Sep-15	Oct-15	Nov-15	Dec-15
Of which, total number positive or refused	129	124	134	119	137	150	129	179	217	242	239	165
Of which, total number negative	603	456	575	433	463	756	458	521	691	868	1,127	1,429
Total number of screening tests required:	732	580	709	552	600	906	587	700	908	1,110	1,366	1,594

 

 

 

 

Alcometer download	Jan-16	Feb-16	Mar-16	Apr-16	May-16	Jun-16	Jul-16	Aug-16	Sep-16	Oct-16	Nov-16	Dec-16
Of which, total number positive or refused	192	157	206	207	230	202	167	155	184	199	168	177
Of which, total number negative	679	653	657	584	649	750	536	498	645	595	1,927	774
Total number of screening tests required:	871	810	863	791	879	952	703	653	829	794	2,095	951

 

Alcometer download	Jan-17	Feb-17	Mar-17	Apr-17	May-17	Jun-17	Jul-17	Aug-17	Sep-17	Oct-17	Nov-17	Dec-17
Of which, total number positive or refused	121	103	92	109	94	68	109	130	177	143	142	197
Of which, total number negative	435	384	300	286	256	260	439	422	421	577	546	952
Total number of screening tests required:	556	487	392	395	350	328	548	552	598	720	688	1,149

 

Alcometer download	Jan-18	Feb-18	Mar-18	Apr-18	May-18	Jun-18	Jul-18	Aug-18	Sep-18	Oct-18	Nov-18	Dec-18
Of which, total number positive or refused	152	144	134	157	147	134	122	129	106	177	152	193
Of which, total number negative	441	449	520	406	440	581	481	401	366	471	1,968	636
Total number of screening tests required:	593	593	654	563	587	715	603	530	472	648	2,120	829

 

 

 

 

Alcometer download	Jan-19	Feb-19	Mar-19	Apr-19	May-19	Jun-19	Jul-19	Aug-19	Sep-19	Oct-19	Nov-19	Dec-19
Of which, total number positive or refused	126	198	146	153	161	151	149	188	196	174	207	201
Of which, total number negative	399	466	460	379	435	427	365	428	423	491	2,404	766
Total number of screening tests required:	525	664	606	532	596	578	514	616	619	665	2,611	967

 

Alcometer download	Jan-20	Feb-20	Mar-20	Apr-20	May-20	Jun-20	Jul-20	Aug-20	Sep-20	Oct-20	Nov-20	Dec-20
Of which, total number positive or refused	176	129	139	109	149	152	177	163	168	185	114	152
Of which, total number negative	442	374	342	253	377	388	486	584	503	631	501	874
Total number of screening tests required:	618	503	481	362	526	540	663	747	671	816	615	1,026

 

Alcometer download	Jan-21	Feb-21	Mar-21	Apr-21	May-21	Jun-21	Jul-21	Aug-21	Sep-21	Oct-21	Nov-21	Dec-21
Of which, total number positive or refused	99	119	105	133	141	139	168	164	154	152	159	166
Of which, total number negative	416	363	377	411	505	479	485	514	535	507	423	850
Total number of screening tests required:	515	482	482	544	646	618	653	678	689	659	582	1,016

 

Alcometer download	Jan-23	Feb-23	Mar-23	Apr-23	May-23	Jun-23	Jul-23	Aug-23	Sep-23	Oct-23	Nov-23	Dec-23
Of which, total number positive or refused	130	115	111	133	169	143	119	127	136	128	129	197
Of which, total number negative	456	347	215	254	501	675	399	433	306	408	405	810
Total number of screening tests required:	586	462	326	387	670	818	518	560	442	536	534	1,007

 

Alcometer download	Jan-24	Feb-24	Mar-24	Apr-24	May-24	Jun-24	Jul-24	Aug-24	Sep-24	Oct-24	Nov-24	Dec-24
Of which, total number positive or refused	165	137	149	130	174	125	154	105	174	131	122	156
Of which, total number negative	474	374	423	349	538	465	548	271	333	399	417	510
Total number of screening tests required:	639	511	572	479	712	590	702	376	507	530	539	666

 

Alcometer download	Jan-25	Feb-25	Mar-25	Apr-25	May-25	Jun-25	Jul-25	Aug-25	Sep-25	Oct-25	Nov-25	Dec-25
Of which, total number positive or refused	151	162	103	133	103	83	96	169	88	83	93	117
Of which, total number negative	450	448	357	359	311	333	280	302	361	309	376	459
Total number of screening tests required:	601	610	460	492	414	416	376	471	449	392	469	576

 

NB: This information is gathered from our Lion import terminals across the force, data from machine rebuild, hard drive crashes and terminals switched off during gather will not be included.

2016: We have no explanation could be given for the increase in November.

2017: Around July/August the computers which were hosting intox data were rebuilt. 

2018: The breath tests devices were calibrated in November in preparation for the start of the drink drive campaign in December. The tests have therefore been recorded as November instead of the actual test dates.

2019:  The Motorway Road Policing Unit confirmed that they ran a campaign in November.

2020: Due to the pandemic officers were requested to minimise their contact with the public in general and wear special masks.  Lockdown and working from home resulted in a reduction in traffic volumes throughout the year. The summer drink/drive campaign did not take place and there was low volume traffic on the roads during the Christmas campaign.

 

2.Arrests – monthly data

For each month from January 2015 (or the earliest date to this you can provide) to December 2025, please provide:

The number of arrests following:
• A positive roadside breath test • A positive roadside drug‑wipe test
• A refusal/failure to provide a sample for breath test and drug test.

Please take in to account all arrests involving:

• Driving and excess drink/drugs
• Being in charge of a vehicle with excess drink/drugs.
• Driving and being unfit through drink/drugs

The following table covers the following offences:

'Driving - Causing Death by Careless Driving When Under the Influence of Drink OR Drugs'

Driving - Excess Alcohol

Driving - Excess Drugs

Driving - In Charge - Excess Alcohol

Driving - In Charge - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs

Driving - Unfit Through Drink/Drugs

 

 

 

 

 

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2018	2	1	1	304	253	240	256	225	250	268	284	325
2019	217	269	277	287	249	268	253	292	293	309	277	340
2020	245	251	231	205	283	236	253	237	244	233	203	252
2021	173	176	168	204	227	201	237	250	238	272	243	298
2022	243	188	240	194	232	184	235	247	202	242	206	258
2023	218	246	217	217	210	206	242	216	220	232	233	281
2024	236	213	195	194	231	193	187	174	206	258	192	255
2025	219	226	183	199	200	199	192	246	215	218	254	284

 

Driving - Fail to Provide Breath Test' = arrests

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
2018	-	-	-	7	8	7	8	5	15	21	7	12
2019	6	18	11	11	4	11	11	11	10	10	15	13
2020	5	12	9	4	16	11	11	19	12	13	15	6
2021	6	8	8	5	12	8	14	10	11	12	17	20
2022	15	11	9	12	4	8	8	14	14	14	16	13
2023	12	14	6	15	11	12	13	19	20	19	8	21
2024	20	16	13	12	15	17	15	19	10	14	17	13
2025	17	28	22	14	19	13	9	18	22	11	19	18

 

Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that this data has been extracted from a number of data sources used by forces for police purposes. The detail collected to respond specifically to your request may be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Consequently, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are considered when interpreting the data. 

 The figures provided therefore are our best interpretation of data which has relevance to your request, but you should be aware that the collation of figures for ad hoc requests may have limitations and this should be considered when those data are used.  

If you decide to write an article / use the enclosed data, we would ask you to take into consideration the factors highlighted in this document so as to not mislead members of the public or official bodies or misrepresent the relevance of the whole or any part of this disclosed material.