Getting into the driver’s seat the morning after drinking could have serious consequences.
If you have consumed any alcohol, the safest bet is not to drive — but during the summer festival period especially, many people risk being over the drink-drive limit.
At the start of the Isle of Wight Festival, the Isle of Wight Council is raising awareness of the risk of driving the morning after drinking.
The Morning After calculator
Council officers, working with partners across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safer Roads Partnership, have been out promoting the Morning After calculator to drivers at the Lymington, Portsmouth and Southampton ferry ports.
The calculator is available to help people roughly work out how long it takes for alcohol to pass through their body and when it will be safe to drive the morning after.
Helps calculate roughly when might be safe to drive morning after drinking alcohol
Lewis Campbell, the council’s road safety officer, said,
“This calculator is not intended to help you work out how much you can drink on a night out before driving home.
“If you are drinking any amount of alcohol on a night out – even one drink – you should leave the car at home and make alternative arrangements. And the calculator won’t help you if you are arrested for drink driving.
“What it will do is enable you to calculate roughly when it might be safe for you to drive the morning after drinking alcohol. And it can help you calculate when to stop drinking alcohol if you have to drive the following morning.
“However, to be clear, we take the view that there is no safe limit of alcohol when driving.”
A very serious criminal offence
Drink driving is a very serious criminal offence and motorists can be fined, banned from driving and even face jail depending on the seriousness of the offence.
And you don’t have to be caught in a moving car to be hit with a penalty — a motorist caught sitting or sleeping in a car while intoxicated and with keys in the ignition could be hit with a £2,500 fine, up to three months in prison and a possible driving ban.
You can find out more about the drink driving penalties here.
Making sure festival-goers are safely below the limit when they drive home
Jeff Walls, Group Commander, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, said,
“We want everyone attending this weekend’s Isle of Wight Festival to have a fantastic time and get home safely.
“That’s why we’re working with our Hampshire and Isle of Wight partners to help drivers and riders make good decisions about when they need to stop drinking alcohol, to make sure they are safely below the limit when they drive home.”
Evans: We want everyone to get home safe and well
Colin Evans, regional safety programme manager (South-East), added,
“At National Highways the safety of our customers and our workforce is our highest priority.
“We are proud to work with partners from across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to help drivers and riders make good decisions about when they need to stop drinking the night before they drive home after a big event like the Isle of Wight Festival in order to be safely below the limit.
“While we want them to have a great time, we also want everyone to get home safe and well.”
More information on the Morning After calculator can be found on the Website.
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
