Central Bedfordshire Council kicked of its summer drink-drive campaign on 8 July with a series of roadshows to remind motorists not to drink and drive.
The roadshows, part of a joint venture with the public service provider Amey, were launched at ASDA in Dunstable. RSOs provided advice on how to prevent drink-driving and gave away ‘tasty mocktails’ – a range of easy to make non-alcoholic cocktails.
According to Central Bedfordshire Council, drink-driving is primarily thought of as a problem associated with Christmas, but nearly a third of drink-drive related road traffic collisions in Bedfordshire occur during the summer months.
Cllr Brian Spurr, executive member for sustainable communities services, said: “We held these events to help raise awareness that any alcohol in your system can impair your judgement, causing difficulty judging distance and speed. Reaction times will be slower, and it will take longer to stop. We’re also reminding people that the morning after drinking they might not be alcohol free and therefore not fit to drive.
“The idea behind the mocktails concept was to encourage motorists to try something different whilst also learning about the dangers of drink-driving.”
Jon Shortland, account director of Amey, said: “We targeted four key hot spot areas within Central Bedfordshire. These were chosen due to the amount of positive breath tests conducted after a collision. To speak to [1300 people] in a week has been fantastic, and the public were very open to the idea of mocktails and many took the recipes away to try at home.”
For more information contact Michelle Watkins on 08453656204.
Comment on this story