A recent news story highlighted the efforts of a man who drove a forklift under the influence of twice the legal alcohol limit. The Police officers said the 20 year old man was spotted driving a forklift on the road between Forfar and Quilko. According to reports, he had taken the forklift from his employer’s yard because he was unable to get a taxi home.

This is incredibly dangerous for the driver and other people on the road, as this heavy and robust piece of equipment can easily be misused and even crashed into nearby cars, buildings or people.

It has therefore come to the attention of the police that drink driving is not just a matter for regular motorist drivers, and a forklift comes under the same laws and regulations as a normal car would.

Driving any vehicle under the influence of alcohol causes a risk to the driver and other road users.

Over the festive period, many hundreds of drunk drivers were caught speeding and many times over the limit. One driver was caught staggering from his car six times over the legal alcohol limit in Strathclyde. In Fife, a driver hit a pedestrian on 27 December and was later discovered to be twice over the drinking limit.

Despite many campaigns to warn drivers of the dangers of drink driving, the message does not appear to be reaching everyone.

Tom Ewing of Acpos road policing, commented on the issue, “Police officers will not be ignoring the scourge of drink and drug driving. Quite the reverse in fact; it will be part of routine night and day to look out for those who are prepared to take the risk. We will track these people down using every means at our disposal and bring them to justice.”

Anyone operating a forklift should be fit and well, trained and not under the influence of alcohol or any drugs or medication. Every forklift is different, so it is vital that drivers familiarise themselves with the vehicle beforehand.