Road safety and alcohol

The only safe way is to not drink at all if you are driving.

If you're going to drink, arrange another means of transport so that you don't have to drive. Don't risk drinking and driving:

• get the bus or tram
• catch a taxi
• stay overnight
• arrange for someone who isn't drinking to drive
• don't get into a car with someone else who is going to drive and has been drinking.

Remember alcohol takes a long time to leave your body.  You may not be fit to drive in the evening if you’ve been drinking alcohol at lunchtime. And you may not be fit to drive the morning after the night you’ve been drinking.

Your driving is seriously affected when you’ve been drinking alcohol.

This is because alcohol:

• Gives a false sense of confidence
• Reduces co-ordination
• Slows down reactions
• Affects judgement of speed, distance and risk.

For more information about how alcohol affects your driving visit www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/drinkdrive/drinkdrive02.htm This site also gives details of what can happen if you are convicted of driving when over the limit.

About 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured on average each year as a result of drink driving.

Around 1 in 6 of all road deaths involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit.

In addition to the possibility of killing or seriously injuring yourself, passengers in your car or other blameless people, there are other consequences of drink driving.

About 2,000 breath tests are carried out every day. If you’re convicted of drink driving, you will:

• receive a fine of up to £5,000
• lose your licence for at least a year (which could mean you'll lose your job)
• face up to six months in prison
• pay up to three times as much for your car insurance.

And if your job is reliant upon you holding a driving licence, you could also lose your job, and this obviously has its own set of consequences.