AS Christmas party season gets into full swing, police have issued a stern reminder not to drink and drive.

Drivers will be breath tested if police think their driving has been impaired by consuming alcohol or drugs, if they have committed a moving traffic offence, or if they have been involved in a road traffic collision.

Chief Inspector Peter Thomas, of Alliance Roads Policing, said: “The temptation to drink and drive during the Christmas season, with everyone busy and with more family, works and other social gatherings, is likely to be higher than at other times of the year. We implore you to not take that risk.

"Drink driving is a proven significant contributory factor in fatal and serious injury collisions and those who kill or seriously injure others whilst drink driving will find themselves sent to prison. We will be very vigilant of drivers impaired though alcohol, and we remain determined to take dangerous drivers off the road for their sake and for the sake of other road users.”

It won’t just be Alliance roads policing officers, which includes Roads Casualty Reduction Officers, the No Excuse team and Roads Policing Specials. Response officers and neighbourhood teams have the same powers and will be running localised operations too.

Drivers should also remember that they could still be under the influence of alcohol the next morning after drinking. Only time eliminates alcohol from your system, not sleep, coffee, a shower or breakfast.

It takes one hour per unit consumed plus an extra hour from your last drink for alcohol to leave the system and before you should even contemplate driving.

Neither do you have to be drunk to be a drink driver. The “legal limit” set by the breath test is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, but even if you blow under this at the roadside, if officers think your driving is impaired through alcohol you can still be arrested, charged and prosecuted.

Last December Devon & Cornwall Police officers administered 1,472 breath tests, of which 189 of those were positive, refused or failed.

Some 34 of those were carried out the morning after, between 5am and noon. A total of 105 of offenders were aged between 18 and 34.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Alison Hernandez is the road safety lead for the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners.

She said: “Drink driving is responsible for numerous deaths and serious injuries in Devon and Cornwall despite the fact that the dangers have been understood and clearly communicated to drivers for several decades.

“It is time to get tough on those who are happy to risk lives just because they are too selfish to use alternative forms of transport or regulate their alcohol intake.

“That’s why I have supported the addition of further officers into our No Excuse road safety team and roads police officers who work tirelessly at this time of year to make our roads and communities safer.

“My message to those heading out for a drink at this time of year is to enjoy yourselves and get home safely.”