Police took to the streets in Nottingham city centre last night to press home the message about drink-driving. As part of a festive reminder to drivers, officers invited people to try on distorting ‘beer goggles’, which highlight the loss of perception that impair drink drivers. Participants also experienced taking a breathalyser test and were encouraged to watch an interview with a Nottinghamshire woman whose husband was killed by a drunk van driver. Inspector John Lees said last night’s event, in Trinity Square, was intended to act as a reminder to motorists that drinking under the influence of alcohol can have a huge impact on judgement. He said: “It’s an issue we highlight throughout the year, but especially over the festive period because people tend to go to Christmas parties and they are maybe tempted to drink and drive. “We want to send out the message that it is not safe, it is a crime and it affects people’s lives. It causes tragedies and we don’t want that to happen.”  

A member of the public tries on the beer goggles

Friday night’s roadshow was the first of a series of engagement events that form part of a new campaign launched by Nottinghamshire Police to discourage people from drink-driving. Other events will take place at Trinity Square tonight (Saturday, 10 December), as well as 17 and 23 December. They will take place between 6pm and 8pm with volunteers from East Midlands Ambulance Service attending alongside Special Constables, police officers and PCSOs. Meanwhile, over 2,000 posters and 5,000 beermats educating road users on the consequences of drink driving have been distributed to pubs all over Nottinghamshire as part of the campaign, with similar messaging running on the back of Nottingham City Transport buses as part of an advertising campaign. Police teams from across the force will also be taking part in a widespread crackdown to target those who choose to drink or take drugs and drive in a bid to make our communities and roads safer. Sergeant Shakeel Rasul, who helped plan the campaign – called ‘A Deadly Mix’ – said: “Every year we carry out proactive operations to catch those who put lives at risk by drink-driving. “These operations are continuing but we also recognise the value in educating people and that is what this campaign is about.”  

Nottinghamshire Police is urging motorists not to drink and drive

The campaign is being supported by Clair Osborne, who lost her husband in a collision caused by a drink-driver in 2021. The 48-year-old, of Mansfield Woodhouse, is urging people to plan how they will get home if they are going to be drinking alcohol on a night out. She said: “If you’ve got work dos or have got Christmas parties planned, that’s the key word – they are planned. Plan your taxi, plan your lift home. If you’re driving and anybody tries to tempt you to have a drink, just ask yourself is it worth it? “I have to see what it’s done to my children every day because someone decided to drink-drive.”