DRIVERS are being urged to kick the booze into touch during the World Cup.
Drink and drug driving offences typically increase during the summer and with a month of televised football during the tournament in Russia, police chiefs in Warwickshire are warning drivers not to be tempted to get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol while watching matches.
Warwickshire Police Asst Ch Con Richard Moore said: “Worryingly, and despite many warnings over the years about the dangers of drink/drug driving, there are still far too many reckless drivers ignoring the devastating consequences that this can lead to.
“During the summer months and over the World Cup period people may be in situations where they are drinking more than usual.
“Alcohol and drugs both affect your ability to judge speed and distances accurately and slow down your reaction time. Our officers will be out 24/7 over the summer months enforcing the drink and drug drive law so risking it just simply isn’t worth it. “Our message is simple – enjoy the World Cup responsibly, don’t drink and drive.”
A social media campaign is also being run by the force during the World Cup.
It highlights the difficulty of calculating how much someone can drink and remain under the limit, or knowing how much a person can drink and still drive safely.
It also stresses the difficulty in calculating how long alcohol stays in the body, for those driving the morning after, and concludes the safest option for those driving is to drink no alcohol at all.
In the the past three years ten people were killed and 80 seriously injured in Warwickshire following drink or drug-related crashes.
