World champions don’t drink-drive – be a champion of the road, say Nigel Mansell and IAM RoadSmart

The world’s top drivers would never mix alcohol with driving – so nobody else should. This is the message from former Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell CBE this festive period.

He is backing the IAM RoadSmart ‘Drive Like a Champion’ anti drink-drive campaign this month (December).

President of IAM RoadSmart for over a decade, Nigel believes everyone can be a winner on the road – simply by thinking ahead, anticipating the road … and most importantly in the run up to the festive season, not touching a drop of alcohol when getting behind the wheel.

He said: “Quite simply drink and drug driving is for losers. On the track you need to be in the best possible form at all times. This equally applies to anyone driving on the road. You have your own life, those of your passengers and everyone around you in the palm of your hands.

“Drink driving increases your risk of being a potential killer behind the wheel. The responsibility of driving a road vehicle safely is just as great as when driving a Formula 1 car – if not more so.”

Nigel’s advice comes as statistics in IAM RoadSmart’s 2018 Safety Culture Survey (reference 1) show there is still some shocking thinking about getting behind the wheel after drinking or taking drugs among UK motorists.

Each year since 2015 IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s biggest independent road safety charity, has surveyed over 2,000 drivers about their worries, fears and attitudes.

This year’s findings included:

•        7% of drivers say it’s acceptable to drive when they thought they might have had too much to drink – a figure that rises to 13% of 17-34 year olds

•        7% say it’s acceptable to have driven after using drink and marijuana (12% of 17-34 year olds)

However the majority support a tough line on punishment and rules around drink-driving. The survey found:

•        88% support alcohol interlocks to stop those who have been convicted of drink driving starting the car if they are drunk

•        88% support fitting all new cars with such technologies

•        79% support lowering the limit in England and Wales to that in Scotland

•        Drink and drug driving is the top priority for police enforcement according to the survey

Nigel added: “Be a champion of the road like me this Christmas and New Year. Do the right thing for your family, friends and other road users. Drive safe, drive sober and go #NoneForTheRoad.”

ENDS

Notes to editors: For the full Safety Culture Survey click here: to come https://www.iamroadsmart.com/media-and-policy/research-and-policy/research-details/driving-safety-culture-survey-2018

Nigel Mansell facts: In a long Formula 1 career, Nigel thrilled a generation of fans around the world going head to head with the likes of Ayrton Senna, Michel Schumacher and Nelson Piquet – emerging as World Champion in 1992. Between 1980-1994 he drove 187 Formula 1 races, winning 31 of them and achieving 59 podiums. He also won the CART Indycar Championship in 1993, thus winning the Formula 1 and Indycar titles back-to-back – the only person ever to do so.

Further information from:

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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 commercial products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com/business                                             

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 ALL