Don't Drive The Morning After, Says Varadkar

Festive drinkers need to beware as they are likely to be targeted by the police when driving the day after their celebrations.

Those who intend to drive the morning after a night out should use an alternative means of travel if they are in any doubt about whether they still have alcohol in their system.

The Dáil Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said that the Morning After anti-drink-driving Christmas campaign, was highlighting the fact that any presence of alcohol in the system impaired driving abilities.

"The overall message remains 'don't drink and drive'. [But] I am asking people who intend to drive the morning after a night out to be conscious of the amount they had to drink, and of the time it takes for alcohol to pass through a person's system," he said.

This year's anti-drink-driving campaign comes just weeks after the introduction of lower-driving limits which saw a reduction in the maximum blood-alcohol level to 20mg per 100ml of blood in some cases.

The new 'morning after' campaign is jointly organised by drinkaware.ie - a website set up by Meas, the drinks industry body that promotes responsible drinking - and the Road Safety Authority.

Chief Executive of drinkaware.ie Fionnuala Sheehan said people needed to think about whether they still have alcohol in their system when getting into their cars.

"The reality is that it takes our bodies about an hour to get rid of one standard drink.

"No amount of coffee, energy drinks, cold showers or breakfast rolls will speed up the elimination of alcohol from our systems," said Ms Sheehan.

(BMcC)