Minister launches ‘Morning After’ Christmas Campaign

THE Minister of
Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar TD, has lent his support to the
drinkaware.ie/Road Safety Authority

‘Morning After’ Campaign for Christmas.

With the recent
arrival of the new lower drink-driving limits, it has never been more important
to remember the morning after.

Speaking at the
launch, Minister Varadkar said:

“The overall message remains

‘don’t drink and
drive’. I am asking people who intend to drive the morning after a night out to
be conscious of the amount they had to drink, and of the time it takes for
alcohol to pass through a person’s system. The presence of alcohol in the
system impairs driving abilities. If you’re in doubt, don’t drive and find an
alternative means of travelling.

?

As people get
ready for the festive season Fionnuala Sheehan, Chief Executive of
drinkaware.ie commented:

“The reality is that it takes our bodies about an hour
to get rid of one standard drink.

“A standard
drink is equal to a glass of beer/cider, a small glass of wine or a pub measure
of spirits. That means a pint contains two standard drinks and a home measure
of spirits or wine may contain two to three standard drinks.

“This December
we want people to think about the

‘morning after’ when they get in their cars
to go to work, go shopping, and visit friends or family.

“No amount of
coffee, energy drinks, cold showers or breakfast rolls will speed up the
elimination of alcohol from our systems. You might feel better afterwards, but
that doesn’t mean you’re fit to drive. The message from drinkaware.ie is to
take responsibility for your drinking, do the maths the morning after and if
you think you still have alcohol in your system then don’t risk driving.
Equally, the message to passengers is not to get in a car with anyone who you
think is not safe to drive.

?

Commenting on
the launch of the campaign Noel Brett, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, said:

“I would like to compliment all of the publicans across the country who have
developed designated driver schemes, key holding services, distribution of hi
vis vests, partnerships with local taxi /hackney providers and direct provision
of transport to keep their customers safe.

“Well done to
the public who utilise these services and to those who act as designated
drivers. It is a measure of changed behaviour and social consciousness to see
cars left at pubs overnight. In the past many of these cars would have been
driven home after a night’s drinking.

?

This campaign
by MEAS reminds anyone who has been out drinking and has a late night to be
vigilant about their fitness to drive the following morning.

“As we approach
the festive season it is critical that people continue with their responsible
behaviour; it has saved lives and
prevented serious injuries to date and will continue to do so,

? added Mr Brett.

Those who are
unsure how many standard drinks are in your usual log on to www.drinkaware.ie
and use the handy Standard Drinks Calculator. If you are entertaining at home
over the Christmas period, remember that your measures may be more generous
than those in the pub. Simple tips like investing in a spirit measure and
waiting until your guests have finished their drinks before offering a refill,
helps everyone keep track of how much they are drinking.