Drinkaware urges drivers to keep roads alcohol-free over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Drinkaware, the independent national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse, is providing the public with useful information and advice to help ensure a safe June Bank Holiday weekend.
They said alcohol remains the most frequently detected intoxicant in driving in Ireland.
A total of 86 per cent of all adults agree that any amount of alcohol will impair their ability to drive .
The organisation is calling on the public to leave the car at home if they are drinking and to become aware of how long before it is deemed safe to drive the following day.
The Drinkaware Barometer, a national reference point for alcohol trends in Ireland, reveals that 23 per cent of adults, aged 18-24 years old, do not believe that any amount of alcohol impairs their ability to drive, making it imperative to educate young people on the dangers of driving the day after drinking.
An estimated 79 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, an increase of 16.5 per cent compared to this time last year.
Drinkaware wants to educate the public on the associated dangers, to help reduce fatalities on our roads over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
The latest available data on the impact on drink-driving on roads indicates that 37 per cent of all driver fatalities from 2015 to 2019 included a positive toxicology result for alcohol.
During the last bank holiday weekend in May, the Garda Síochána confirmed a total of 196 arrests were made for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, including alcohol.
Drinkaware is encouraging adults who will consume alcohol this weekend, to use its free drinks calculator as a helpful tool to monitor alcohol intake and estimate the time required for the body to process alcohol.
They are urging people to know the facts about driving the morning after:
- It takes at least one hour to process one standard drink;
- An average pint of beer equals two standard drinks. This means it will take your body two hours to process one pint of beer;
- Alcohol levels continue to rise for hours after consuming the drink of choice;
- The only way to remove alcohol from your system is time; no amount of food or water will speed up the process;
- Neither will the common myths about showering, eating a large breakfast, consuming coffee or energy drinks, or exercising;
- The processing time starts from when the last drink is finished.
Dearbhla O’Brien, chief executive of Drinkaware is urging the public to stay safe this bank holiday weekend and not drink and drive.
“If you plan to drive this bank holiday weekend, the safest option is to leave the car at home.
"The RSA has confirmed that 90 people have been killed or seriously injured in June Bank Holiday collisions over the past 5 years.
"Any amount of alcohol will affect your ability to drive and there’s no way to guarantee all the alcohol you have drunk will be gone by the time you wake up the next day.
"Alcohol can stay in your system well into the afternoon, depending on how much you have consumed and when you stopped. This can give you a false sense of confidence which can come with an increased tendency to take risks on the roads."
