DRIVERS in East Lancashire are backing the introduction of spot check breath tests, according to new research commissioned by the police.

A major survey into drivers attitudes to policing and drink driving was published today by the Lancashire force the week before the launch of a controversial summer crackdown.

As exclusively revealed in the Lancashire Evening Telegraph hundreds of motorists in Lancashire will be breath tested throughout August.

Police are planning to set up a series of roadside checkpoints in a campaign similar to the ones carried out over the last two Christmas and New Years.

A major report into attitudes towards drink driving was commissioned by Lancashire police and Lancashire County Council.

The major findings were:

Most drivers do not object to on-the-spot breath tests.

Men are more likely to be involved in aggressive driving incidents and confrontations.

The majority of drivers are happy with intrusive policing measures designed to cut down on speeding and drink driving.

Men have poorer attitudes to driving than women but younger motorists are less likely to break driving laws.

Higher mileage drivers are more likely to speed and take risks. Dr Dianne Parker, the head of the Driver Behaviour Research Group at the University of Manchester, compiled the report.

Nearly a thousand motorists were interviewed - most of them stopped at the roadside during the last Christmas crackdown.

The research shows most people still believe preventing crime is the most important task facing the police.

But when it comes to motoring, the vast majority of those questioned put drink driving top of the list of offences.

And 85.1 per cent of people said they were happy with Lancashire police's approach to enforcing drink driving laws.

Lancashire police's road safety co-ordinator Chief Inspector Ian Bell said:"We are very pleased to find that our campaigns are continuing to have a positive effect and that our year round action against driving driving has such strong support from the public."

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