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Summer sun and drink-driving dangers

Business car driving advice from the IAM’s Caroline Holmes
THE weather has been glorious – time for BBQs and beers in the garden. But watch what you drink if you drive for business the next day.
Story: Caroline Holmes
189_DrinkDriving
Happy summer days...but watch out for the dangers of too much alcohol and driving

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28 May 2012

Young woman enjoying a drink in the sunshine
Happy summer days…but watch out for the dangers of too much alcohol and driving

Story: CAROLINE HOLMES, IAM

Drink-driving: it’s a Christmas issue, isn’t it?

Well, not quite. Drink-drive casualties actually peak in the summer.

And if that surprises you then consider your own leisurely lunchtime or evening barbeque with friends and family: drinks flow more freely,  the measures can be larger and the drinks stronger than those served in a pub, particularly if you are celebrating the Queen’s Jubilee.

And in such a summer-relaxed way, it’s easy to get carried away – especially after the glorious sunshine we have been experiencing over this late May period.

Pint in the sun after work

But it’s not just the relaxed BBQ with friends that business drivers need to be aware of. There’s also the quick drink after work.

One pint with your colleagues in the sun might seem harmless but it can quickly turn into two, then a third…

If it does, the advice is to order a taxi, jump on the train or bus, or walk – it’ll cost much less than a drink-drive charge or accident. And ignore peer pressure. Your companions might think it’s a good idea for you to drive them home, but if you’ve been drinking just say no. It’s your licence at stake – and as a company car driver – or business van driver – it could also mean your livelihood.

Someone else’s accident

Then there’s that delightful drive to a pub or to a restaurant in the evening where you might just have the odd drink to be sociable. As a result, you’re not sure whether those drinks have put you above the limit or not. But you’ve had food – it should be ok, right? That’s a very real pressure.

But consider this before you do drive home. If you are involved in an accident, whether or not you were at fault, the police are likely to breathalise you. And somebody else’s mistake has just become your problem.

The morning after

This is a highly important issue for company car drivers to consider, particularly if you have been enjoying day-long drinks with friends on a Sunday and your job requires you to have an early start on the Monday.

Do you know how much you actually drunk – even if it was over a long period? It could put you over the legal drink-drive limit the next day when you start your work’s business mileage.

A survey by Alcosense found that 51 per cent of respondents who had been drinking the night before, underestimated the levels of alcohol still in their body the following morning. Figures from the Department for Transport indicate that while the overall number of accidents involving drink driving has fallen over the past 20 years, the proportion of morning-after accidents has risen from 7 per cent in 1990 to 18 per cent in 2010. Bear this in mind and make alternative transport plans for the next day – don’t just risk it.

The other hazard business car drivers should watch out for is drunk pedestrians – they are the cause of many driving accidents. Watch out for them when you’re driving.

Summer or winter, if you drink, don’t drive and if you drive, don’t drink – that’s the company car driving advice. And always refuse a lift from someone you know has been drinking.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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