Stay Safe On The Roads This Christmas

3 December 2019
Community

Stay Safe On The Roads This Christmas

As we approach the festive season packed full of office parties, family gatherings lots of lovely food and of course a few drinks to get you in the festive spirit having worked hard all year, it is time to let your hair down. However, letting your hair down, in moderation, does have its pitfalls if you do not plan and get transport organised if you are on the move between homes, or from a venue to home.

Around 100,000 drivers each year lose their driving licence because they have been driving whilst in excess of the alcohol limit. The result is an instant driving ban for at least 12 months, so, this Christmas and indeed all year round, it is not worth the risk, so do not take any chances if you are driving. It is important to keep in mind that drivers can be caught the morning after or even just by moving their car while others have lost their driving licence by sleeping in the car while drunk.

To guarantee the safety of others, your safety, your peace of mind, and your licence, plan ahead, book a taxi in advance to get you to and from your party safely. Christmas is a busy time for taxis but by pre-booking you will not have to wait out in the cold at a taxi rank or more importantly get into an unlicensed taxi. Most taxi firms now a days will send a text to alert you when they have arrived and their vehicle, which is handy if you have lost track of time having fun at the end of the night.

If you do have to drive, alcohol affects people differently depending on your weight, age, gender and metabolism, as well as the type and amount of alcohol you have been drinking and what you have eaten, so there are no set rules as to what you can drink before driving to stay within the legal limit. As a rule, if you drink a pint of lager it will be up to three hours before you should get behind the wheel, a couple of large glasses of wine might mean you need to leave it for as much as eight hours.

The important thing is not to try to calculate how much you have consumed and if you are over the legal limit, as it is all too easy to get it wrong. You could purchase a personal breathalyser, some of which are good, however, do your research though as some are not as accurate as the police breathalyser. The main thing is to stay safe this Christmas and enjoy all the festive fun and for the sake of a few pounds, get a taxi and avoid drink driving – wishing you a very merry Christmas!