SOUTH Yorkshire Police arrested over 160 motorists last month for being over the drink driving limit during a summer crackdown.
Police targeted known hotspots and breathalysed 2,763 drivers in total in June 2012.
The Chief Inspector for Roads Policing, Stuart Walne, said that officers would continue to use intelligence to target common drink driving areas.
The full story of the drink driving summer blitz in South Yorkshire offers an interview with Stuart Walne.
The story does, however, raise questions for motorists.
Are the police able to simply stop and breathalyse a motorist?
The police do not have to have, or provide, a reason for stopping you. They will often provide a reason, but they can stop you without a reason.
They do, however, have to have a reason to request a breath sample; namely, they must have some reason to believe that you may be over the limit.
This could be due to some issue with your driving; driving slowly is a common issue that alerts them to a possible drunk driver. Alternatively, they may smell alcohol on your breath.
If you are stopped by the police and asked to provide a breath sample, our advice would always be to comply with the police request.
If you refuse to provide a breath sample and have no medical grounds for doing so, you will be charged with Failing to Provide a Breath Sample.
