Drink Driving / Operation Holly

You cannot fail to miss the police campaign on drink driving that is running throughout December. The police are being very vocal and there has been plenty of publicity in the press and media, especially social media such as Facebook and Twitter.


During the month of December, Hampshire and IOW police are running their drink-drive campaign, Operation Holly. As well as random (and sometimes reported) breath testing, Hampshire police are also taking the wreck of a crashed car to various venues around the county to show people what could happen if they get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol.


The wreck was at West Street, Fareham, on December 2, accompanied by PC Adam Jackson from the Fratton Roads Policing unit who said: "I got an excellent response from people in Fareham today. The car we used is similar to one involved in a drink-drive related death I've personally dealt with, so being able to talk to people about that was very impactive. As soon as you mention the word 'death' to them, people stopped; the fact we could talk about real examples brought it home. This is what we as the emergency services, both police and the fire service, deal with and yet these collisions could be prevented. We've got no time for drink-drivers anywhere in Hampshire or the Isle of Wight. If you suspect that someone is drink-driving, especially if its your friend or a loved one, lets us know. Grass them up, snitch on them, whatever you want to call it, because by letting us know, you could be helping to save a life."

At the time of writing this, there has been 52 arrests across Hampshire and IOW for drink driving with the youngest being 17 years of age and the oldest so far being 76 years of age. This is a significant increase on last year.

Why do people drink and drive? There are many reasons, perhaps they think they won't get caught, or that they are not over the limit. perhaps they don't have anyone who can give them a lift or do not think they will get a taxi (or even afford a taxi).  Whatever the reason, there is NO excuse. Drink driving costs lives and if you get caught, the very least you can expect is a ban and a fine.

Superintendent Chris Brown, head of Roads Policing for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police said "The bottom line is that there is no excuse for drink driving. It's a choice that costs people their jobs, their relationships and their lives, not to mention the lives of others. Our message is very simple, very clear. Do not drink and drive. Do not take the risk."

TAKE AWAY THE TEMPTATION TO DRIVE AFTER A FEW DRINKS:

If you cannot afford a taxi (which will only cost you the price of a couple of drinks, depending on the distance that you are travelling), why not take it in turns to be the designated driver? Or if you think you may be tempted to drive after a few drinks then leave your car keys at home, arrange a lift to work the next day and think "Do I want to die or be responsbile for someone elses death?" Think "Do I want to pay a fine of upto £5,000?" or "Do I want to lose my licence and have a criminal record?" Is it worth the risk? No of course not.

We hear reports of customers saying that they drive their car because Taxi companies do not answer their telephone during busy periods. Our phones are ALWAYS answered and whilst we appreciate that sometimes there may be a slight delay, we will answer as soon as possible. We have over 250 cars on our fleet and we have plenty of 5, 6,7 and even 8 seaters that can reduce the cost of your travel if you can share the cost with friends/family. We even have cars with chip and pin facilities so if you run out of cash, you can pay with credit or debit card.

There are also other ways you can book a taxi. You can text us from many points across Southampton. Please visit www.radtax.co.uk/textpoint for more information. You can email as at booking@radtax.co.uk and best of all, you can book online from your computer or smartphone at www.ebook.autocab.net/guest/3346 , where you can also check on the status of your booking and track your taxi.

If you require anymore information on our services please contact us on 02380666666 or by email booking@radtax.co.uk. in the meantime, we'll leave the final words to Hampshire Police:
Suspect someone's drinking driving?
If you suspect someone has been drinking and is over the limit and getting behind the wheel – then please text us on 80999, tell us where the car is, give us the registration, and we will do the rest.
If you see someone that you suspect is drink driving or driving whilst drug impaired, you can ring us on 999.

(With special thanks to Hants Police, in particular Tim Feltham and Chris Spellerberg for the information provided.)