More Canberra drivers are getting behind the wheel over the limit, with an increase in the number of motorists apprehended roadside this year for the first time since 2013.
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ACT Policing apprehended 777 people between January and October in 2017 for drink driving, according to police data.
The figures represent a fractional increase from the 770 drivers who blew over the limit in the first 10 months of 2016.
There were 932 total incidents during the 2016 calendar year.
The figures from police represent the number of drivers who blew over the 0.05 limit on the side of the road, and not those formally charged with drink-driving offences following a positive second reading at a police station.
Drink-driving incidents peaked in September this year, with 104 Canberrans apprehended, followed by July with 95 and June with 89.
The spike during September also coincided with a large police operation in the ACT, with 1200 random breath tests carried out.
However, despite the small rise in 2017 compared to the previous, instances of drink driving between January and October are well down compared to the three years prior to 2016.
In 2013 and 2014, motorists that were caught drink driving went into four figures, coming in at 1104 and 1008 respectively.
There was a slight drop in 2015, where there were 887 that blew readings over the limit in the first 10 months for the year.
Since 2013, there has been a drop in the number of drink drivers in Canberra over a 12-month period, dropping from 1332 in 2013, to 1189 in 2014, 1046 in 2015 and 932 in 2016.
There would need to be less than 155 incidents in the final two months of 2017 for the trend to continue.
In the September quarter, there was a 17 per cent jump in the number of drivers over the limit compared with 2016, with the June quarter also registering a rise of 3 per cent.
However, the first quarter for 2017 saw a 14 per cent decrease compared to the corresponding period the previous year.
Chief police officer for the ACT Justine Saunders said police will be out in force over the summer months.
"Our Regional Targeting Team is proactive in their patrolling and work closely with staff at licensed premises and patrons to identify any problems areas or people," she said.
Sergeant Stuart Burrows said there will also be a focus on random breath and drug testing in the weeks ahead.
"Everyone needs to take personal responsibility for their actions on out roads," he said.
"Drink or drug driving puts yourself and other road users at risk."
Analysis of the police data by comparison website finder.com.au showed in the festive months, there's several hundred drivers charged over each of the past four years.
The site's insurance expert Bessie Hassan said that trend is expected to continue in 2017.
"It's typical to see a spike in drink-driving cases as the silly season nears, and the ACT usually sees up to 200 people charged every November and December," she said.
"The recent quarterly increase in drink-driving offences is concerning, especially since we're heading into this peak period and there will be more cars on the road."
