MORE than 550 people were caught drink or drug-driving in Scotland over the festive period, including one who was found to be almost seven times over the legal limit.
Some 8632 drivers were stopped and breathalysed between December 1 and January 2, with 565 found to be committing drink or drug-driving offences, according to Police Scotland.
That means one in every 15 motorists breathalysed was found to be over the limit – almost twice last year’s figure of one in 28.
Of the 565 people caught, 23 were driving the morning after they had been drinking.
In one case, officers in East Kilbride responded to public reports of a car being driven erratically. The driver was found to be nearly seven times over the limit.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Williams said: “I am very disappointed that we caught 565 people for drink/drug-driving offences during our festive road safety campaign.
“This means that one in every 15 drivers breathalysed by officers were over the limit, compared with one in 28 during the same period in 2017/18. It was alarming that during this period, 33 motorists were caught more than four times over the limit.”
However, Williams added he was encouraged by the number of calls received from members of the public about people driving after drinking.
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