FOOTAGE reveals the terrifying moment a drunk driver loses control of his car and smashes straight into a police vehicle.
The reckless motorist was more than double the legal limit when he ploughed into a cop car on a quiet country road in Nottingham.
Nottinghamshire PoliceNottinghamshire cops revealed shocking footage of a drunk driver[/caption]
A silver car can be seen veering off into a hedge
Nottinghamshire PoliceIt dangerously moves from one side of the road to the other[/caption]
Nottinghamshire PoliceThe driver than swerves into a parked police car[/caption]
The car had been spotted driving erratically just moments before it veered off the road.
Footage released by cops shows the silver car flying off the tarmac and into a hedge on the drivers right hand side.
The driver is then seen speeding along before the car suddenly jolts off to the side and spins uncontrollably.
It then crosses back over the lane, slides sideways and thuds straight into the police car.
The officer inside had only just parked up and was moments from getting out.
Nobody was injured in the terrifying crash, which unfolded in a rural spot in North Nottinghamshire.
Chief Inspector Clive Collings of Nottinghamshire Police warned: “Every summer we see an increase in both drink driving arrests and collisions within rural Nottinghamshire.
“With a long, hot summer expected, we will be deploying our officers into a variety of rural areas and concentrating our attention on vehicles leaving country pubs.”
The driver, 48-year-old Darren Shackleton, was found to be more than two times over the legal drink-drive limit.
He was arrested at the scene and later admitted drink-driving when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on July 9.
Inspector Collings added: “No drink is worth the life-changing consequences of getting behind the wheel when over the limit.
“The safest amount of alcohol to drink if you are driving is simple to remember – none.”
Shackleton, of Retford Road, Mattersey, was slapped with a three-and-a-half year driving ban.
He was further ordered to carry out 40 hours of unpaid work over the next 12 months.
The court also ruled that he must abstain from drinking alcohol for 80 days.
Police say the smash happened during a targeted summer campaign to clamp down on drink-driving in the countryside.
Chief Inspector Collings said that while rural roads may look quiet, the risks of drink-driving are just as deadly as in any city.
He vowed that officers will be watching pubs and country lanes closely this summer.
Cops say the footage will now be used to warn others about the dangers of drink-driving.
They’re urging drivers to plan ahead, use taxis or designate a sober driver.
Officers say there will be also more patrols in rural areas in the coming weeks as part of their crackdown.
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