CRIMESTOPPERS has launched a new campaign to target those who get behind the wheel and drug drive.

In the 12 months between April 2020 to April 2021, the charity received over 3,000 reports on drink and drug driving in the North West and over the last seven months, that total has already been exceeded.

Drug driving reports have continued to rise year on year at an 'alarming rate', and this corresponds with the significant rise in arrests for drug driving across police forces in the North West.

One in twenty fatalities on UK roads are thought to be caused by drug drivers.

The campaign is aiming to increase anonymous reporting by the public of those who regularly drug drive so that they are banned from driving, which will make roads 'safer for everyone'.

Many victims of road traffic collisions are passengers in cars driven by those who are under the influence of drugs or who are in cars that are hit by impaired drug drivers.

Community intelligence given to our charity is vital in keeping our roads safe and catching those who regularly drink and drug drive.

Gary Murray, regional manager for Crimestoppers, said: "Whilst we are encouraged to see the rise in reports that we have received from the public, it highlights that drug driving is a major issue in the North West.

"Many innocent lives are being put at risk by a small number of people who choose to break the law.

"Drug drivers put other people’s lives at risk and your information could help prevent a potentially damaging or fatal collision from happening.

"Our campaigns seek to both discourage those who may be thinking of getting behind the wheel and ensure they consider the implications of their actions on themselves, their families, or the families of the potential victims.

"We are letting them know that people who take drugs and then drive are being reported, stopped, tested, and banned. Since we began in the late 1980s, we’ve always kept our promise that everyone who contacts us stays 100% anonymous. Always."