Track Your Alcohol Intake This August Bank Holiday And Keep Our Roads Safe
Drinkaware the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse is urging the public to get the facts and be drinkaware this August bank holiday weekend.
The 2021 Drinkaware Barometer showed that 87% of people agree that any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive.
Yet research carried out by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in June 2021 saw 1 in 10 drivers admitting to drink driving in the past 12 month and on the August bank holiday in 2020 there were 105 suspected offences for drink driving.
Many people will be on their staycations this August bank holiday, or will be enjoying the easing of restrictions for indoor dining and Drinkaware is providing advice on how to prepare for your staycation/trip out while keeping our roads safe:
If you’re planning on driving the day after a night out make sure you stop drinking early or switch to non-alcoholic alternatives.
Know the facts:
It takes at least one hour to process one standard drink
Examples of a standard drink are, half a pint of beer, 100ml glass of wine, or a standard measure of spirits.
The time starts from when the last drink is finished.
For example, if a person finished 3 pints of beer at midnight, they will have consumed 6 standard drinks, this means they need 6 hours from midnight when they stopped drinking before their body will have processed the alcohol and they should not get behind the wheel of a car until 6am at the earliest.
Many things such as your weight, age, gender, metabolism, mood, whether you’ve eaten etc, can further delay the processing time.
1 hour per standard drink is a guideline only.
If you’re planning on having a drink when you’re out:
Leave the car at home
Plan ahead if visiting a place you haven’t been before, make sure there are alternative options such as buses, taxis or trains.
If in a rural area call the restaurant or pub ahead of time to see if shuttle services are available.
If staying in a hotel/B&B check with the staff for options in taking you to and from places.
CEO for Drinkaware Sheena Horgan commented:
‘87% of people agree that any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive and our Driving & Alcohol section of the Drinkaware website is consistently one of our most viewed pages.
We know people want to do the right thing and are aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, however road accidents in Ireland typically increase over bank holiday weekends.
We want to provide people with practical information via the explanatory video, and tips as part of our Safe Summer campaign to help them stay safe on the roads this August bank holiday.
It is important that people are aware of how long it takes their body to process alcohol from the night before, and also what a standard drink actually is.
Not knowing either, may lead to making risky decisions, and we are urging the public to be informed, listen to the advice of the RSA and Garda Síochána, and keep our roads safe.’
