Say NO to drink driving! Say NO to destroying lives!

It’s Christmas; a season synonymous with overindulgence, parties, spending time with family and friends, and of course: drinking.

Sadly, drink driving incidents often increase over the festive period as people “take the chance” to have a drink and get back home without the need for expensive and often hard to find taxi or bus services that are limited over the holiday’s.

But there’s never an excuse; ever. All road users and pedestrians are immediately at risk when someone makes the selfish and dangerous decision to drive under the influence of alcohol.

We’d like to remind you – that’s all road users – to never drink and drive.

Some people feel they’re fine to drive. They can handle their ale. Some are only nipping around the corner – a mere two minute drive to save the legs in the frosty weather. Some have no way of getting back after a party, and think it’ll be fine. Some are not bothered about the dangers and are only concerned about getting back without being stopped by the police.

Some people think it doesn’t matter to drink and drive. Some people have been doing it for years. Some people may chance it “just this once” – this one little occasion.

Whichever category a drink-driver fits in to, they forget that there’s also someone else to take in to account.

Someone’s husband. Someone’s wife. Someone’s child. Someone’s brother. Someone’s sister. Someone…

That person is the victim; the fatality at the hands of the negligent drink-driver who perhaps didn’t see that pedestrian crossing the road because of the alcohol in their system.

Or perhaps the drowsiness took hold and that momentary close of the eyes missed the approaching bend and the subsequent head-on collision.

Maybe that little alcohol-induced lapse in concentration missed that stationary car at the traffic lights ahead.

Think about the lives YOU could destroy

Drink-driving is not an accident waiting to happen; it’s an avoidable tragedy waiting to happen. Anyone considering driving under the influence of alcohol should think ahead and consider what could happen if they’re involved in an accident.

You could:

Pretty bad, right?

It gets worse. You could:

Whichever way you put it, you’re ruining lives, and you have to live with that; taking aside from the fact that you have genuinely taken someone’s life and affected countless others in the process.

Could you live with yourself? That’s if you even survive, of course. You may end up killed as well. In that respect:

More than half a million killed or injured in 35 years

Between 1979 and 2014, 671,850 people have been killed or injured in drink driving incidents in Britain, according to drinkdriving.org statistics. Although the number has fallen dramatically over the years, thousands each year are still killed or injured to this day as a direct result of drink driving incidents.

Across the festive season, it’s common knowledge that more people will chance it. Whether it’s a drink down the pub with friends and family, or that work Christmas outing you’re so desperate to attend, there’s no excuse.

Don’t become a statistic. You are not fine. It will not “be okay”.

Keep it simple. Keep it safe: don’t drink and drive.