Keep our Roads Safe this Easter Bank Holiday

Drinkaware, the national charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse is urging the public to get the facts and be Drinkaware this Easter bank holiday weekend.

The 2021 Drinkaware Barometer showed that 87% of people agree that any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive*. Yet research carried out by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) in June 2021 saw 1 in 10 drivers admitting to drink driving in the past 12 months**. This demonstrates a discrepancy between good intentions and knowledge. It is important that drivers learn the facts and be Drinkaware this weekend.

Remember:

· Any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive. Your body takes AT LEAST one hour to process one standard drink. But one in ten Irish adults do not know the three most common standard drink measures***. For example, half a pint is one standard drink. You can find other examples on drinkaware.ie.

· This time starts from when the last drink is finished. For example, if a person finished 3 pints at midnight, they will have consumed six standard drinks. This means they need to wait until at least 6am to drive.

· Many things such as your weight, age, gender, metabolism, mood, whether you’ve eaten etc, can further delay the processing time. 1 hour per standard drink is a guideline only.

To have a safe and healthy Easter weekend:

· Plan your way home. Is there public transport available? Or will a designated driver bring you home? Plans will prevent accidents from happening as a result of drink driving.

· Swap your favourite drinks for non-alcoholic alternatives. From lager to wine, cider to cocktails, there’s something for everybody. Enjoy your favourite taste without the alcohol.

· Try alcohol-free activities for an alcohol-free Easter celebration. Indulge your inner child and paint eggs, go on an Easter egg hunt, or have an egg and spoon race.

· Check out the Drinkaware Drink Driving page for more information on how to keep our roads safe this Easter.

CEO of Drinkaware, Sheena Horgan, commented:

‘We know that people want to do the right thing this Easter Bank Holiday. Our Drink Driving page is one of our most highly viewed pages, with over 30,000 visits this year alone. We want to assist the public in their safety by providing practical information on drink driving, and when it is safe to drive the morning after. It is important that people understand how long it takes for their bodies to process alcohol, to prevent the typical rise we see in accidents over Bank Holiday weekends. I invite the public to visit our Drink Driving page for more information, and to heed the advice of the RSA and an Garda Síochána to keep our roads safe.’