Face the consequences tackles summer drink driving

Lazy days and balmy summer evenings; a barbecue with friends, a few cool drinks.

‘You could be left with more than just a few empty bottles to deal with if you drink drive this summer’ – that's been the message from Staffordshire’s road safety team to the county’s drivers for the past couple of months.

Staffordshire County Council’s TravelWise Road Safety Unit has been working closely with colleagues in local councils to raise awareness of the problem of summer drink driving. Traditionally associated with the Christmas period, drink driving is now recognised as a major summer killer.

The ‘Face the Consequences’ campaign, which launched on 4 August, saw bottle recycling banks across the county carrying the message:
‘You can’t dispose of the consequences of drink driving so easily’.

"Obviously the only safe option is never drink then drive but during the summer when you’re with friends it can be easy to drink as part of the social occasion," said Alan Prosser, Senior TravelWise RSO. "On average 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions and nearly one in seven of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal limit.’

For further information contact Alan Prosser, 01785 276611 or Malcolm Jones, 01785 276616.