Drink: Consequences last longer than your hangover
With some fine weather finally with us and summer on the way, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue have issued the following statement and facts about the dangers of drink driving in conjunction with National Road Safety Week and The Honest Truth website.
Alcohol is a factor in one in five road deaths. Drink driving traffic collisions are still a leading cause of alcohol-related deaths among young men aged 16-24 and are the cause of approximately 460 deaths, and a further 1,760 serious and 12,260 minor casualties each year.
How your body reacts to alcohol can depend on many things; your weight, your gender, your metabolism, your current stress levels, even whether you’ve eaten recently.
There is no foolproof way of drinking and staying under the limit. How much alcohol will push you over varies from person to person.
How does alcohol affect driving skills?
- slows your brain function and reaction times by 10 to 30%
- causes blurring and loss of vital peripheral vision and a 25% reduction in the ability to judge distance and speed
- makes you over-confident and reduces the perception of risk
- for young people the accident risk increases after one drink; after two it doubles and after five it can have increased tenfold
- alcohol has exactly the same effect whether neat or with a mixer
- measures are usually bigger when you pour your drinks at home
The morning after
How much have you drunk, when did you stop drinking, and when do you plan to drive? These are crucial questions to answer if you want to remain safe and legal to drive – and avoid a drink drive conviction or being responsible for the injury or death of another road user. Alcohol stays in your system longer than you think. If in doubt, don’t drive. Even if all of the alcohol has left your system it can still be dangerous to drive with a hangover. Tiredness and feeling unwell can also affect your concentration and reaction times.
What’s the punishment for drink driving?
Anyone caught drink driving will be banned from the road for at least 12 months, and fined up to £5,000. Refusing to provide a breath test will also result in a minimum 12 month ban and a fine.
You can also be sent to prison for up to six months. It stays on your licence for five years, but stays on your conscience for ever.
Taken from the Honest Truth website in support of National Road Safety Week.
For more information go to www.thehonesttruth.co.uk
