It almost beggars belief that anyone in this day and age still thinks it is acceptable to get behind the wheel of a car when they’ve had too much to drink.

According to the latest figures released from West Yorkshire Police, 275 motorists failed a breath test or refused to give a sample when they were stopped during the force’s Christmas crackdown.

Of those, 133 have been charged and 39 have already been dealt with by the courts. This should send the message that drink-driving is not something that will be tolerated, and nor should it be.

Drink-driving – or driving under the influence of drugs, which is increasingly being targeted by police – can have devastating consequences. Perhaps the majority of those who got behind the wheel of their car thought they were safe to do so, but even the slightest effect on their reactions due to drink or drugs could have resulted in a death.

It should come as no surprise to those who have already been banned from driving due to their Christmas excess, given the level of awareness that exists today about the sheer stupidity of drink-driving.

Yet people persist. The police stopped 400 more people during this Christmas period than they did the year before, and it is good that they are stepping up their campaign every year to improve road safety.

We all by now know the dangers of drink-driving and the penalties that the crime can attract. And make no mistake – it is a crime, and one that can carry a prison sentence. There really can be no excuses any more for this deadly abuse of the law.