IN 1992 Carole Whittingham and her family’s life changed forever.

For every day since then, Carole and her family have been forced to live with the devastating consequences of the road accident that prematurely robbed 27-year-old Steven Whittingham of his young life, and Carole of her beloved son.

The driver whose stolen car ploughed into Steven’s car in Heckmondwike had been taking drugs and drinking.

Coming to terms with the loss of a loved one is traumatic enough, but to think their life has been cut short through someone else’s mindless actions must make it even harder to come to terms with.

Through her loss, and to keep her son’s memory alive, Carole has made it her mission to help others.

SCARD (Support & Care After Road Death and Injury) is the Brighouse-based charity Carole and her husband, Frank, set up to provide advice and support to others who find themselves in similar circumstances.

They, along with a team of volunteers, are on hand to offer comfort through the helpline the charity runs.

As well as helping others, Carole, who was awarded the MBE for her work with the charity, is also a keen campaigner, ensuring our roads are safer to prevent anyone else having to endure the same devastating experience.

Initiatives such as the new drug-driving regulations, introduced last year, are a positive move in helping to clamp down on motorists who drive under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

According to new data, 8,000 people were arrested for drug-driving in England and Wales in the last year.

The statistics, which follow a Freedom of Information request, reveal 7,796 people were arrested on suspicion of drug driving between March 2015 and April this year.

Data was supplied by 35 out of 43 police forces.

The Metropolitan police made the most arrests, 1,636, followed by Greater Manchester Police with 573 and Cheshire Police with 546.

Closer to home, between March 2 2015 and March 2 2016 there were 167 arrests for drug driving in West Yorkshire which resulted in 68 charges.

Drivers can be prosecuted if they are caught exceeding limits which were laid down for eight illegal drugs and eight prescription drugs.

The levels for the illegal drugs, which include heroin, cocaine and cannabis, virtually mean there is zero tolerance for drivers caught with these substances in their system.

With the introduction of the new law police were issued with testing kits.

Officers can use “drugalysers” to screen for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside, and they can test for these and other drugs including ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin at a police station, even if a driver passes the roadside check.

Says Carole: “I think it is a huge step forward, it has to be. At the end of the day he (the driver) was on drink and drugs when he killed Steven and it is something we have campaigned so long for,” she says, referring to the introduction of the drug testing kits.

“Having a proper roadside test is a huge step forward. I think it takes about eight minutes from what I have been told and they swab the inside of the mouth.

“It is a huge step forward and the rate of conviction has gone up 250 per cent in North Yorkshire in 12 months, that is big and it has got to be the way forward.

“We have to make the roads safer and people will not do it off their own backs. They think they are better drivers, no you are not, you may think you are but you aren’t and we need to get these people off the road.”

The legislation was introduced to run in conjunction with a previously existing law which made it illegal to drive when impaired by any drug.

For some forces the introduction of the test, and the legislation, has had a huge impact on the number of arrests.

Inspector Joanne Field, of West Yorkshire Police, said: “The new laws have given us the power to test for the presence of drugs at the roadside and this has led to significant increases in arrests and charges.

“These have set limits for both illegal and some powerful legal drugs, making the process of tackling those who put lives at risk by drug-driving simpler.

“Roadside testing also allows for prompt detection of offences, providing officers with evidence to arrest suspects and to bring about appropriate charges.

‘‘A drug-driving conviction will result in a criminal record and a minimum 12-month driving ban, as well as a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison or both. It’s not worth the risk.”

Sarah-Jane Martin, spokesperson for the road safety charity, Brake, said: “It’s shocking to think that there are so many drivers with drugs in their systems on our roads. Driving with any amount of drugs in your system is reckless, selfish and dangerous. The effects of illegal drugs are highly unpredictable and it’s estimated 200 deaths a year in the UK result from drug-driving.

"At Brake, we support families bereaved by crashes and know only too well the devastation road crashes can cause. It’s important that the region’s drivers are aware of the risks posed by taking drugs and getting behind the wheel which is why we’re calling for the government to protect police forces from further cuts so that specialist roads traffic police can make use of the new powers and catch risky, law breaking drivers.”