The dangers of drinking and driving are well known but, in spite of the legislation now being in place for 40 years, it still accounts for around 40 deaths and 170 serious injuries each year in Scotland (DfT estimates).
RSS runs drink-driving campaigns in support of the ACPOS summer and festive safety enforcement campaigns, and uses various media to keep the issue in the public domain outside specific campaign periods. ACPOS activity in this area is constant as, in spite of a variety of TV, radio and other advertising, there are still too many people who are prepared to take the risk.
Drink-driving campaigns have traditionally run over the Christmas and New Year period at a time when people are more likely to go out drinking and partying and the temptation to drink and drive may be strong. In recent years however, it has been recognised that there is a need to remind drivers of the dangers of drinking and driving at other times in the calendar year. The ACPOS Summer Safety Campaign again targets drink-driving and RSS has produced a television and radio advert which advises drivers of the lifestyle consequences of getting caught drink-driving, including the minimum 12-month loss of license and the knock-on effects this could have on employment, home-life and relationships.
Another modern trend is the number of people caught the ‘morning after’. It can take a substantial amount of time for the body to process and dispose of alcohol, and many people are being caught the following day. It can, for example, take up to 12 hours for a bottle of wine to dissipate, and people have lost their license having been caught on their way to work or doing the ‘school run’, all because of what they had the night before. Recent RSS publicity put it quite simply: "Good night out. Good night’s sleep. Good chance you’ll still be over the limit".
There’s only one way to be sure you won’t get caught drink-driving – don’t do it.