Police have so far caught 35 over-the-limit drivers during an annual Christmas crackdown.
The drivers were tested and arrested in the first 13 days of the campaign, launched at the beginning of the month.
Police are conducting hundreds of checks across the city and county and expect to get busier in the next few days, as Christmas approaches.
Inspector Gill Lewis, head of the force's road policing unit, said: "We should never forget that drinking and driving kills.
"Sadly, the offence is all too often fatal."
The force yesterday gave details of two cases which led to arrests.
On Wednesday, officers received a call from an ambulance attending the scene of a traffic accident in Fosse Road South, in West End, Leicester.
The driver, a 24-year-old man, was injured and smelled of alcohol. He admitted he had been drinking and gave a breath test which showed he was over the legal limit.
On Thursday, police were called to investigate a stationary vehicle on the M69.
They found an "uncooperative" 22-year-old man, slumped over his steering wheel.
Cliff Ward, a paramedic with East Midlands Ambulance Service, helped launch the campaign at the beginning of the month.
He said: "The impact that road incidents involving drink-drivers has on families, friends and sometimes even emergency services staff is huge."
The penalties for drinking and driving are a minimum 12-month disqualification – which rises to three years for a second offence within 10 years – a fine of up to £5,000 and up to six months in prison.
During the four-week crackdown last year, police caught 119 over-the-limit drivers – a slight improvement on the 2010 total of 127 and 2009's 122.
Police advise drivers to take one or more of the following simple steps to avoid the temptation to drink and drive:
Arrange for one of your group to be the nominated driver who doesn't drink any alcohol for the evening.
Find out the bus times, including the last bus home.
Book a taxi in advance.
Spend the evening near home.
A website has been created to spread the safety message.
It features information about drinking and driving, as well as videos in which five characters explain how they committed offences and ended up with criminal records.
www.over-the-limit.co.uk
