“Drink driving - there is no excuse” is the message from the Donegal Road Safety Working Group to all drivers this summer. The Summer often increases the opportunities for people to be out enjoying themselves and for unplanned drinking like family barbeques, local festivals or concerts. However, the consequences of drink driving can last much longer than your hangover and change the rest of your life.
Garda Inspector Pat O’Donnell said: “Drink and drug driving continues to be a menace on our roads. We don't want to stop people from enjoying the social aspect to the Summer, but we want people to do it safely and responsibly. That means staying sober and alert. I would urge motorists to think about the consequences of being caught committing an offence. At best you risk a fine, mandatory ban and an increase in your car insurance premium. At worst you risk losing your job or going to jail. We regularly see the consequences of drink and drug driving and the lives that are wrecked as a result. The message is simple. Anyone who is caught driving under the influence will be arrested and dealt with through the courts.”
It is well known that drink drivers put themselves and others in serious and potentially fatal danger. In the first ever national study into the role of alcohol in fatal road crashes in Ireland, alcohol was identified as a contributory factor in 37% of all fatal crashes and a factor in 62% of single vehicle crashes in 2003. These sobering findings, in a study entitled ‘Alcohol in Fatal Road Crashes in Ireland 2003’, were revealed by Dr Declan Bedford, Specialist in Public Health Medicine with the Health Service Executive, who spoke recently at a road safety conference in Letterkenny.
Whilst most people understand the dangers of driving when intoxicated, some people don’t fully realise that getting behind the wheel after drinking can devastate your life even when a crash is avoided. The long-term effect reaches far beyond the 12-month driving ban by hugely affecting your family and your current and future job prospects. Those that have had a drink should not drive home but plan their journeys safely, which is the advice from Stephen Lambert, Chairman of the Donegal Road Safety Working Group, “How much alcohol you can drink before you reach the legal limit depends on the individual and whether you have eaten or not. It means it is impossible to judge how much you can legally drink before driving, which is why the only safe limit is none at all. While drink driving is not acceptable at any time of year, it is appropriate that we remind people of the dangers of drink driving over the summer period.”
Advice for motorists
- Don't drink/drug and drive - there is no safe limit
- If you are going out in a group, designate a driver who will not drink alcohol
Make alternative arrangements to get home such as a taxi or bus
Stay overnight
- Do not get into a vehicle with someone who has been drinking or taking drugs