Ref. 74452-38GRIEVING mum Vicky Byrne wants motorists to remember the devastating impact drink-driving can have before they climb behind a wheel.

The former Walcot councillor's 14-year-old daughter, Michelle, was killed when the car she was travelling in smashed into a tree in Broome Manor Lane.

Since her death, Mrs Byrne has backed campaigns for tougher sentences for dangerous drivers.

And she is disgusted that over the Christmas period there was a three-fold increase in drink-driving arrests in the Swindon area.

"It's very disappointing and quite amazing that people still drink and drive despite all the adverts this year some of which have been very shocking," she said.

Michelle, a former St Joseph's School pupil, was a backseat passenger when the modified Audi 80 crashed into the tree in October 1996.

The driver, Jamie Baker, of Furlong Close, Haydon Wick, was 20 when he admitted causing death by careless driving having consumed excess alcohol. He was sentenced to 12 months at a young offenders' institute, only to be released within six months.

Mrs Byrne, who has two sons, Michael, 41, and Patrick, 35, has thrown her weight behind campaigns to stop motorists guilty of death by dangerous driving escaping with light sentences.

"I have never got over the loss of my daughter the pain does not lessen," said the 59-year-old, of Lennox Drive, Walcot. "Even now I find it hard to talk about it.

"I think if you drink and drive the minimum sentence should be ten years and if you kill someone you should be banned for life.

"I want drivers to think about what happened to Michelle and the devastating affect it has had on my family before they think about drink-driving."

Over the Christmas and New Year period the number of people arrested for drink-driving in the Swindon area has increased from 12 in 2002-03 to 35 in 2003-04- a rise of 191 per cent. And the number of drink-drivers involved in injury collisions has more than doubled.

In Wiltshire 8.1 per cent of motorists tested were positive compared to 4.3 per cent last year.

Swindon traffic inspector Wayne Smith said: "I am disappointed that despite all the publicity some people still decide to drink and drive and believe they can get away with it. It puts both themselves and others at risk of serious injury or death.

"Enforcing the drink drive laws continues over the whole of the year. On average approximately 48 people get arrested in the Swindon area each month.

"If you continue to drink and drive you will get caught, you will lose your licence and possibly your life."

Two years ago south Swindon MP Julia Drown campaigned for tougher sentences for dangerous drivers.

"The rise seems to suggest that the message over the dangers of drink driving is not getting through," she said.

"As an MP I have had to meet families of people who have been tragically killed on the roads. You only have to meet one of these to make you want to do everything you can to stop drink driving.

"You have to have tough sentences as one of the ways of getting the message across."

More motoring menaces now

In Wiltshire 248 drivers were breath tested over the Christmas and New Year period after being involved in road collisions.

Twenty of these were arrested for providing positive breath specimens.

The number of injury road collsions were up from 74 in 2003-04 to 88 in 2004-05.

In Swindon 99 drivers were breath-tested after accidents and eight were positive.

Last year 84 were tested and six were positive. The percentage in the town has risen from 7.1 per cent last year to 8.1 per cent now.

But two years ago in Swindon when 89 people were tested only three had been drinking too much.

Overall, 35 people were arrested for drink-driving offences, compared to 26 in 2003-04 and 12 in 2002-03.

In north and west Wiltshire the number of people caught drink-driving also doubled from 4.7 per cent tested last year to 9.5 this year.

The tests were carried out between December 18 and January 2 and involved 248 drivers tested after being involved in collisions across the force area.

The average budget for anti-drink-drive advertising over the past 10 years has been £1.5 million to £2 million a year, but this was increased in 1999 to more than £2.3 million.

Ben Payne