Road Safety Scotland’s 2015 summer drink drive campaign has been launched alongside data showing a 17% reduction in drink drive offences in Q1 2015 – following the introduction of a lower drink drive limit in December 2014.
Using the strapline ‘Don’t spoil summer’, the campaign reminds drivers that getting behind the wheel after even one drink isn’t worth the risk or the consequences. It has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government and in support of Police Scotland’s summer safety campaign.
The new drink drive data shows that in Scotland there has been a 17% reduction in drink driving offences from January – March 2015 (997) compared to the same period in 2014 (1,209).
Police Scotland enforcement activity is running alongside Road Safety Scotland’s social marketing campaign, which highlights the often spontaneous nature of summer socialising.
Michael Matheson, Scotland’s cabinet secretary for justice, said: “Since the introduction of the new lower drink drive limit six months ago, Scotland is starting to see a real change in behaviour. The 17% reduction in drink driving offences indicates that Scottish drivers are avoiding alcohol when they are driving.
“Fewer drink driving offences is a positive story for Scotland and shows that we’re leading social and legislative change in the UK. We’re urging Scots to take care this summer and to remember it’s safer to avoid driving if you’ve consumed alcohol.”
Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “Summer can be a time for getting together with friends and family, and many people go for a drink with colleagues after work on a sunny evening.
“Because this drinking is often unplanned, people may not have thought about the journey home. And many people don’t realise that just one drink can put them over the legal limit.
“Evidence shows that even one alcoholic drink before driving makes you three times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident. It is estimated that one in eight deaths on Scottish roads involve drivers who are over the legal limit and, despite what many people think, eating food or a perceived alcohol tolerance don’t reduce its effects. Even a small amount impairs your judgement and reactions so, the best advice is just don’t risk it.”
The 17% reduction tells us nothing unless we are also told how many tests were carried out. In other words, what matters is the % of drivers tested positive compared to the total.
Otherwise police could claim success simply by doing fewer tests, in just the same way that muggings are falling because they are now often recorded as “lost property” – and before clicking on “disagree” please note that I did not make up that last statement!
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