With the festive season looming large on the horizon, the Morning After campaign is urging revellers to be mindful of the risk of driving while still over the limit the morning after drinking alcohol.
During the busy period for socialising between now and the end of the year, the risk of unwittingly being over the drink drive limit the morning after a heavy night is perhaps at its greatest.
With this in mind, the 2016 Morning After festive drink drive campaign urges drivers to make sure a party popper is the only thing they blow into over the coming weeks.
Founded in 2009, the Morning After campaign includes a website which has received more than 400,000 visits to date in 2016; and the Morning After calculator app, launched last year, has received more than 17,000 installations on iPhone alone.
Data from the Government’s THINK! campaign revealed that in 2013 an estimated 740 reported drink drive collisions took place in the morning, and around 5,500 people fail breath tests between 6am and midday every year.
The THINK! research also found that 58% of those surveyed (800 drivers) would have four or more drinks on a night out, and still sometimes take a risk by driving the following morning – with only a third (33%) aware they could still be over the limit.
Simon Rawlings, Morning After campaign manager, said: “It takes much longer than most people think for alcohol to pass through the body, which means there is often a danger of people unwittingly driving while still over the legal limit the morning after drinking.
“We are urging people to plan ahead and arrange alternative transport if they have to travel to work, for the school run, or any other engagement the morning after festive celebrations.
“The penalties for being caught drink driving the morning after are exactly the same as at any other time – it’s no excuse to say you thought you were fine to drive because of the length of time since your last drink.”
The campaign artwork is available for road safety teams to purchase in poster format and as social media banners, with other formats available on request. For more information contact Simon Rawlings via email.
Local authorities already participating in the campaign include: Cambridge & Peterborough Road Safety Partnership, Knowsley Council, Hampshire County Council and South Gloucestershie Council.
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