Drink Driving

Drink driving can have the most devastating, instant effects on people's lives.

In 2007 247,780 people lost their life as a result of drink drive accidents. Whilst the number of fatalities has slowly declined in the last few years, drink driving still remains to be an issue as 17% of all drink drive fatalities are attributed to drink drivers. In 2009, 11,990 reported casualties occurred as a result of a drunk driver.

But it's not just about the statistics; it's about the attitudes that lead to accidents and fatalities. Often drink driving starts with an excuse and "It’s only down the road" is the most popular one given for drink driving, according to a poll by the Automobile Association and Pernod Ricard UK.

Drinking and driving often starts with an excuse, as drinking drivers try to find a way to justify what is seen by most people as socially unacceptable behaviour. According to the 18,251 respondents in the AA Populus* study the most common excuses for drink driving heard were:

1. "It’s only down the road" 60%
2. "I’ve had food, so that will have soaked the alcohol up" 56%
3. "It’s been a while since the last drink" 45%
4. "There won’t be any traffic around" 28%
5. "I won’t get caught" 27%

Young drivers are most likely to have drink driving crashes, and it is notable that more young respondents had heard excuses than older drivers. Sixty seven per cent of 18-24 year olds had heard the "only down the road" excuse, 35% the "I won’t get caught" response and 30% "There won’t be more traffic about". Young drivers were less likely than older drivers to hear "It’s been a while since the last drink". It is concerning that some young people calculate the risk of not getting caught rather than the risk of an accident.

TOP TIPS FOR A SAFE CHRISTMAS

- If you are going to drink, don’t drive. If you are going to drive, don’t drink.
- Plan your return before you go, using taxis, public transport, designated drivers or lifts. Remember it"s often hard to make arrangements from your drinking venue, especially at the last minute.
- Don’t forget there are services like Scooterman to get you and your car home safely
- Driving there with plans to leave the car can be a big temptation to drive home.
- If you have a designated driver, don’t let him (or her) start making excuses about why they can drink.

Drink driving has long been targeted by the Government's THINK! Campaign, within the remit of the Department for Transport. The THINK! website is a useful resource to find out more about the problem and provide best advice for all.

This website is included on our Useful Links page, which can guide you to a selection of independent resources for further information about issues related to responsible drinking and the misuse of alcohol.

Further details on the information above can be found at: THINK!http://www.dft.gov.uk/think/