Look a Like

TV Celebrity Lee Turner

Chief Inspector Harry Hill

Is it just me, or does Chief Inspector Lee Turner bear a remarkable resemblance to TV celebrity Harry Hill?

On a more serious note, the Chief Inspector is holding a breath testing devicer. There is as still a serious problem with drink driving in Jersey. The numbers caught may be small, but the statistical likelihood is of a greater figure. The danger is not just to the driver, but to passengers and all other road users. Enjoy the joke above, but take home the message below.

During the first 7 months of 2015, 90 people have been arrested in Jersey for Drink Driving; that compares to 74 people during the same period last year, an increase of nearly 18%

Starting on Monday 10th August, the States of Jersey Police will be increasing the number of road checks taking place around the Island and raising the profile of their educational message, encouraging all road users to look out for each other. In addition, enforcement activity will take place with officers working in both marked and unmarked vehicles to monitor the behaviour of road users and police will be acting upon information to locate and arrest drink drivers wherever possible.

Chief Inspector James Wileman said, “These figures are disappointing; we live in a small community and should be looking out for one another. Drinking and driving demonstrates a complete disregard for the drivers themselves, their friends and family, and those around them. It’s irresponsible and anti-social and it has no place in our community.”

As well as being against the law, drink driving has been shown to greatly increase the risk of injury to all parties on the road. Alcohol tends to make you feel over-confident and more likely to take risks when driving, increasing the danger to all road users, including the driver themselves. Alcohol is also a depressant, slowing down the brain and affecting the body’s responses and is one of the leading causes of accidents (www.drinkaware.co.uk).

Inspector Paul Smith has a message for those who choose to drink and drive;

“Don’t expect to get away with it, expect to get caught and to face the consequences!
We welcome any information that assists us in catching those drivers who feel they have a right to put each and every one of us at risk by continuing to drink and drive.

You may still be under the influence of alcohol the next day, even if you feel OK, you could still be unfit to drive and be over the legal limit. For this reason we will be conducting road checks in the morning as well as at other times of the day and night.”