During the lead up to Christmas, The Road Safety Team has been delivering Don’t Drink and Drive sessions with young drivers in colleges and groups across East Sussex. Posters and leaflets have been distributed to libraries, schools and colleges warning drivers that it takes less than they might think for their driving to be affected by alcohol, and highlighting the potential dangers to both motorists and other road users.
The DfT’s “I’ll be DES” initiative promotes having a designated driver; “Be a mate – be tonght’s designated driver and have a soft drink”. The County Council is holding exhibitions across the county to drive home the don’t drink and drive message.
Councillor Matthew Lock, Lead Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment said “There is no excuse to drink and drive. Even a small drink will affect a person’s ability, to drive safely. As we enter the festive period it is essential that motorists remember that if they are going to drink, they should either leave the car at home or get someone else to drive. “
If you plan to drink, don’t risk driving:
- book a taxi
- use public transport
- stay overnight
- arrange for someone who is not drinking to drive
- don’t be tempted to get into a car with anyone else who has been drinking
- be a mate and be des; designate a non drinking driver in your group.
For further information and for training, leaflets and posters please contact East Sussex Road Safety Unit on 01273 482208.
Notes to editors
Some key points of the Department for Transports campaign are as follows:
- On average 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions.
- Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involved drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit.
- The latest provisional figures from 2005, show that some 560 people were killed in crashes in which a driver was over the legal limit, 2,100 were seriously injured and 12,740 were slightly injured.
- And if you think you won't get caught, more than half a million breath tests are carried out each year and on average 100,000 are found to be positive
- The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. However, any amount of alcohol affects your ability to drive safely. The effects can include:
- slower reactions
- increased stopping distance
- poorer judgement of speed and distance
- reduced field of vision
- Alcohol also tends to make you feel over-confident and more likely to take risks when driving, which increases the danger to all road users, including yourself.
- If you've been out drinking you may still be affected by alcohol the next day. You may feel OK, but you may still be unfit to drive or over the legal alcohol limit.
Reference:
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