Drink-driving is a major ongoing threat to road safety. Educating the public about the dangers of drink-driving is one of our priorities as a charity. IAM RoadSmart is one of the UK’s biggest providers of rehabilitation courses, helping thousands of convicted drink-drivers to avoid reoffending. We also campaign for greater awareness about drink-driving, and provide the public with tips and guidance about this crucial topic.
“Drink-driving has devastating consequences and the number of deaths on UK roads where one driver is over the limit has remained stubbornly high for over a decade. At IAM RoadSmart we are playing our part as a provider of drink-drive rehabilitation courses. However, increased resources are needed to be provided to our police forces and health sector to support the detection and treatment of problem drink-drivers. You can read more about our work and policy positions below.”
The true cost of drink-driving
IAM RoadSmart has calculated the true cost of your beer or glass of wine. Should it take you over the drink-drive limit, the financial impact following a conviction could be as high as £70,000.
The total takes into account fines, legal fees, higher car insurance premiums, alternative transport costs and potential loss of salary following conviction. That is why, to avoid costs of £70,000 or more, and putting your and other people’s lives in danger, we always advise #NoneForTheRoad.
Download our free posters
Download our free Alcohol and Driving posters to remind yourself or others of the importance of avoiding alcohol when driving. Feel free to print and share.
Try our alcohol unit and calorie wheel
Have you ever wondered how long it would take for your drink of choice to work it's way out of your system?
On average the body can process 1 unit of alcohol per hour. This can vary depending on your size, weight, sex and metabolism.
Useful resources
THINK! - Delivering Road safety campaigns since 2000.
NHS England, NHS Wales, NHS Inform (Scotland) - Advice, tips and tools for health and wellbeing.
Drink Aware - An independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK.
Adfam - Support for those affected by someone else's substance abuse.
None For The Road: IAM RoadSmart Blog - Discover the myths of drink-driving
Drinking Alcohol: The Morning After - How would you know if you were fit to drive the morning after drinking alcohol? IAM RoadSmart, the leading road safety charity in the UK, is warning drivers of the dangers of driving with a hangover.
Frequently Asked Questions
Meet Shaun Whiter, Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Ambassador
Avoidable tragedy on the roads up-ended the life of 35-year-old Shaun. He was a semi-professional footballer when, in 2016, while helping a friend change a tyre at the side of the road, he was crushed by a drunk driver. Shaun lost six pints of blood and would probably have died had he not been airlifted to hospital after his badly injured friend dialled 999.
Sadly, Shaun's injuries were so bad that doctors had to amputate his legs. He was in hospital for 31 days before being sent to the prosthetics clinic at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he met a doctor who had to give him the "doom and gloom" of his situation. But Shaun refused to give up.
Our Drink-Drive Rehabilitation Course
Our drink-drive rehabilitation courses help people convicted of drink-driving understand the dangers of alcohol.
“Education needs to be upfront… I knew I was over the limit when I got behind the wheel but I didn’t understand the implications of driving somewhere I considered to be off-road.”
“It's hard to believe that what seemed like such a small action at the time has had such catastrophic and life-changing consequences, which I will have to live with for the rest of my days.”
