Don't drink and drive this weekend - Drinkaware

87% of the public agree that any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive (Drinkaware Barometer 2022) and with over 148,000 people using the Drinkaware Drinks Calculator this year alone, we know that people want to do the right thing and reduce their risk of drink driving.

The Drinkaware Drinks Calculator allows anyone to input the amount and types of drinks they have consumed and receive an estimated time of how long it will take the body to process the alcohol. Sadly, during Bank Holiday weekends, we see a rise in drink driving. 

As the national, independent charity working to prevent and reduce alcohol misuse, Drinkaware is therefore urging the public to get the facts about drink driving and if they see someone attempting to or drink driving, don’t be a bystander, step in and help keep Irish roads safe this August bank holiday weekend.  

Throughout the June bank holiday weekend, 160 people were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant and unfortunately bank holiday weekends tend to see spikes in road accidents. There was one fatal collision on our roads during this period and 12 serious collisions took place that resulted in 12 serious and life-threatening injuries.

To date this year, 100 people have died on our roads in 2023. This trend of accidents and fatal injuries during bank holiday weekends must be broken. To assist the government’s Road Safety Strategy to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% over the next decade, Drinkaware urges the public to get the facts before celebrating the long weekend. 

Facts about alcohol

It takes at least one hour to process one standard drink with an average pint of beer equal to two standard drinks which means it will take your body two hours to process one pint of beer. Alcohol levels continue to rise for hours after consuming the drink of choice and the only way to remove alcohol from your system is time; no amount of food or water will speed up the process.

Neither will the common myths of showering, eating a large breakfast, coffee, energy drinks or exercise.

The processing time starts from when the last drink is finished. 

Tips for a safe and mindful long weekend 

Alternate every drink for a glass of water and don’t top up your glass, let yourself finish the drink before pouring another. Set a spending limit and stick to it. Ask yourself ‘Do I really want this drink?’ 

Plan a safe route home before you go out. Double check public transport and remember it will be a busy weekend for taxis.

Call out friends and family who have been drinking and who may be considering getting behind the wheel of a car. Hopefully, we get nice weather for the long weekend and if you are out in the sun, put on suncream, top it up and stay in the shade for parts of the day. 

Drinkaware Director of Communications Chris Ó Lorcáin, commented: “We know that the Irish public have the best of intentions and want to do the right thing. With our Drinks Calculator and the Drink Driving in Ireland page continuously in the top three most visited pages on the Drinkaware website, we can see that people want to know the facts and to keep their families and communities safe. The tragic loss of life on Irish roads this year is a trend we can all help to break by acting on the factual information provided, and following the RSA and An Garda Síochána’s advice.  

Ahead of the August bank holiday, Drinkaware invite everyone to avail of our free resources, such as our Drinks Calculator and our drink driving webpage for more information. Let’s make this bank holiday weekend a safe, fun and enjoyable time for all.”