Football might be coming home … but will you be there to welcome it back? IAM RoadSmart warns of drink-drive temptation as England meet Croatia in World Cup semi-final

Millions will be glued to their TV sets this evening (11 July) at 7pm sinking a few beers as England look to make history and claim a place in the World Cup Final – but road safety experts IAM RoadSmart is warning drivers not to get behind the wheel tonight or tomorrow morning if you have overdone the celebrations.

Richard Gladman, IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, said: “The last time football came home in 1966 almost 8,000 people died on Britain’s roads. We have made huge progress in road safety since then with just under 1,800 killed in 2016. We want everyone to celebrate, but there will be little to enjoy if you are sat in a jail cell. The best tip is even one drink could be too many.”

IAM RoadSmart reminds drivers that a single pint of beer or glass of wine could put them over the limit depending on your BMI (body mass index). There is no such thing as a ‘guaranteed’ amount that you can drink up to that keeps you under the limit – especially in Scotland where the drink-drive limit is lower than England and Wales.

Here are IAM RoadSmart’s tips on what to do:

• Know how much you are drinking. Drinks consumed at home or at a friend’s house are often larger than those in public venues and may contain a lot more units of alcohol than you think
• Leave your vehicle at home. If you do take your car and change your mind make sure you have parked your car in a place that you are able to leave overnight before you start drinking. Don’t go back to it after; as you have had a drink it may be difficult to prove you were not going to drive
• Get your transport sorted out beforehand. If you arrange a taxi or minibus for yourself and your friends it takes any pressure off to drive

• Nominate a designated driver and make sure they stick to zero alcohol. Remember it is distracting and potentially dangerous having drunk passengers when you are an inexperienced driver; play the game and behave.

• Don’t succumb to peer pressure; stick to your guns if you are the driver. Don’t try to guess how may drinks will be safe, you are playing Russian roulette not only with your licence but potentially with your life
• Be careful of the ‘morning after.’ The only cure for ‘being drunk’ is time. Alcohol will take hours to leave your system so after a late night you may not be fit to drive all day.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 – press.office@iam.org.uk                                     

ISDN broadcast lines available

Follow us:

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/IAMRoadSmart                                    

On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com                                 

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart’s Driver Retraining Academy visit www.iamdra.org.uk                       

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://wwwiamroadsmart.com/local-groups      

ENDS