During the entire month of December, officers will be stopping and breathalysing drivers at all parts of the day and night so as to spread the message of ‘don’t drink and drive. Lotus Cars, based in Hethel will be offering fully equipped Lotus Evora S as police vehicles to assist officers in this drive.
This initiative comes due to the sad reality that season of Christmas brings more deaths on British roads due to drunk driving than at any other time of the year. It is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and the Lotus Evora S will help officers spread the message of ‘Fatal Four’ driving patterns noted in fatal accidents which include drink driving, speeding, failure to wear a seat belt and using mobile phone while on the road.
The police forces will actively spread the message of the dangers involved and will especially concentrate on younger drivers who are noted at being among a majority of the casualties.
Aslam Farikullah, Chief Operating Officer for Group Lotus plc, said, “Lotus recognises its responsibility to safety, that relates to the safeguarding of our people, our products, our racing pursuits and the wider community. We build cars for people to enjoy driving safely so we are happy to be part of this initiative and hope that strong action like this saves lives and keeps our roads safe for everyone.”
Chief Inspector Chris Spinks, Head of the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, said: “I would like to express my gratitude to Lotus for the provision of the Lotus Evora police vehicle. This vehicle will be a huge asset in our efforts to deliver road safety messages to our target groups, particularly to young drivers who are disproportionately represented among casualties. I can speak for my colleagues in Roads Policing across the 6 counties of East Anglia when I say that the use of the car across the region will ensure that we maximise our chances of saving lives and protecting road users through education. We already know from our experience of using the Lotus ‘driver simulator’ that the interest generated by a vehicle such as the Evora when it is liveried in police markings is irresistible to a huge cross section of road users, and that in turn affords us the chance to start that conversation around behaviour behind the wheel.”
