Celebrate Safely this Christmas and New Year

30 Nov 2017 4:08 PM -

Christmas and New Year are times to celebrate with family, friends and colleagues. Leeton Shire Council is reminding everyone to celebrate safely as the end of year approaches.

Drink driving is one of the biggest causes of death and injury on NSW roads. In the Leeton local government area (LGA), alcohol was a contributing factor in 16.3 per cent of crashes between 2012 to 2016.

Kym Snow, Road Safety Officer said that drivers need to remember they may still be over the limit after a night out. NSW Police report the number of people caught driving under the influence (DUI) the next day has increased.

“People need to understand that black coffee, showers, water or food will not work. The only thing that sobers you up is time. After a big night out you may still be over your legal alcohol limit for much of the next day. After a heavy night of drinking, it can take more than 18 hours for your blood alcohol concentration to get back to zero. Many people are booked for drink driving the next day.   

Drivers need to take responsibility and use alternative means of transport after a day or night of celebrating and drinking. I encourage people to plan for the next day as well.

With Christmas parties and New Year celebrations often planned ahead of time, it’s also a good time to organise a Plan B. Arrange a lift with a friend that has not been drinking, arrange to be picked up or stay at someone’s house. There’s always a Plan B” said Miss Snow.

Celebrating at a friend’s place may mean that what you think is a standard drink is actually not. This can mean that people easily lose track of what alcohol they have consumed and with the hot weather people may drink faster as well.

If you are having friends over for Christmas or New Year think about how they will get home if they have been drinking. It doesn’t matter if they are driving around the corner or 50 kilometres away, driving while over the limit is illegal, and it substantially increases your risk of a crash and ending up with a criminal record.

Miss Snow said local pubs and clubs will be using Plan B coasters and t-shirts to support the campaign and staff and staff may ask patrons what their Plan B is for this holiday season.

Miss Snow wanted to remind drivers to be aware of impaired pedestrians over the holiday period. The dangers of drink driving are well advertised but people walking home after a night out after consuming alcohol also pose a risk to themselves and drivers on roads.

If you are out celebrating this Christmas and New Year, please do so responsibly and safely, not only for yourself but for other people in the community. Safe celebrating involves planning. Plan how to get home after your celebrations.

Have your Plan B in place before starting to enjoy the festive season.

RBT means you need a Plan B. Police random breath testing (RBT) can happen anywhere at any time.