None for the road

With the warm summer weather and lighter evenings often acting as an incentive for having a drink after work, Simon offers tips on how to avoid the drink drive temptation.

• If you’ve had a couple at a summer celebration, don’t try to calculate whether or not you are over the limit. It’s always best to make it none for the road.
• Remember that home measures are often larger that what you’d get in a pub.
• Many crashes involve pedestrians who have been drinking and drivers who haven’t. When walking home after a drink or two, take care and pay attention to your surroundings. When you’re driving, be aware that pedestrians may be the worse for wear and unpredictable, especially late at night, and be prepared for them to step out without looking for you.
• If you drive to a party and drink when you didn’t expect to, don’t risk it. Get a taxi or arrange for a friend or family member to pick you up.
• A drinking session the night before might put you over the legal limit the following day. Keep this in mind and organise alternative travel plans for the next morning.
• If you are involved in a road accident you will be breathalysed. Don’t risk it, or somebody else’s mistake could become your problem – being hit from behind while sitting at a red traffic light could get you banned.
• Ignore peer pressure. It may seem like a better option to others – for you to risk driving rather than paying for a taxi – but it is your licence and your liberty that is at stake.

Simon Elstow said: “The summer is a time of festivals, BBQs and jam-packed beer gardens. But the summer sees a rise in drink-drive casualties too. Enjoy yourself and leave the car at home if you plan to celebrate with a drink.”