Police Scotland carried out more breath tests and more roadside drug tests during the 2024/25 festive drink and drug driving campaign than previous years.
There were 4,779 breath tests and 963 drug wipes conducted by police officers.
Road Policing and Local Policing officers worked together to target and deter drink and drug drivers.
They did this by carrying out proactive patrols, speaking to drivers and raising awareness in communities, using data to target key areas, responding to information from members of the public and setting up roadside checks.
Over 25,000 drivers were spoken to as part of the campaign.
Road safety partnership work happened at a local and national level, including supporting a Scottish Government marketing campaign and telling the story of road crash survivor Ellen Stickle who was left paralysed by a drug driver.
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, head of Road Policing, said: “Police Scotland will keep targeting drink and drug drivers and we know how important this is to the public.
“My message to people thinking about driving after taking drugs or alcohol is you will get caught. Our officers are out every day, we will arrest you and that will affect you for the rest of your life. It’s your choice and it can have a devastating impact on other road users. It changes people’s lives and it is avoidable.
“Thank you to everyone who supported our campaign and please continue to speak to family and friends to encourage changing the behaviour of drivers.”
The campaign ran from 1 December 2024 until 19 January 2025.
A pilot to give local policing officers the ability to use Drug Wipe roadside testing kit is ongoing in Shetland. The six-month pilot started during the festive campaign.
There were 12 roadside drug tests carried out using the Drug Wipe kit, with 5 positive results and one failure to comply with the test.
Three drivers failed the alcohol breathalyser test. The small pilot will be evaluated as Police Scotland continues to work closely and carefully with Scottish Police Authority laboratories to ensure testing capacity can be managed.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
