As the season to be merry gets into full swing, Erewash Borough Council has urged its residents to ensure they don’t let the fun festivities cloud their judgement on safety.
In a ‘Who’s taking YOU home tonight?’ campaign aimed at revellers, Erewash Community Safety Partnership appeals to the public to use a taxi service, catch a bus or appoint a designated driver rather than run the risks of drink driving.
The council’s licensing team has also backed the campaign and will circulate posters to the pubs and clubs in the borough urging party-goers to check that any taxis they use are properly licensed by Erewash Borough Council.
The team will be doing night-time spot checks with the police during the lead-up to Christmas to check the drivers are licensed and have undergone the council’s safety checks.
Councillor Garry Hickton, Erewash Borough Council’s Lead Member for Environment, says:
“We hope everyone enjoys the celebrations as we lead up to the big day – but we all want to ensure the public is safe throughout the festive period. Please don’t drink and drive, so make your plans ahead of party time. Taxis are a great option – especially if a few of you share the fare – but ensure you check the vehicle is displaying our council’s licence plate and number before you get in.
“The stark warning is that getting into unlicensed vehicles puts you at unnecessary risk.”
Posters displayed at venues across Erewash will outline the two types of licensed vehicles that should be used to take residents home – hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, which will all display the licensed plates near the rear number plate.
During December last year, Derbyshire Constabulary carried out 656 breath tests across the county and of those 115 people (17.5%) gave a positive test, refused to take the test or failed to provide a sample.
