30 November 2012

Brake, the road safety charity
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As the Association of Chief Police Officers launches its Christmas drink and drug driving enforcement campaign, the bereaved family of Jamie Still are pleading with drivers everywhere to commit to 'not a drop, not a drag' if driving this festive period.

Jamie was run over and killed, age just 16, on New Year's Eve 2010 by a drink driver. Jamie was walking back from a local take-away with friends, when drink driver Max McRae mounted the pavement and ended Jamie's life. Jamie's mum Karen Strong, sister Rebecca Still, 14, and grandparents Peter and Celia Strong are urging drivers to make it a happy Christmas and New Year by staying stone cold sober if driving.

As well as calling on drivers to pledge not to drink any alcohol or take any drugs if driving, Brake is also urging government to stamp out drink and drug driving for good. It is calling for traffic policing to be given higher priority, and the drink drive limit to be reduced to 20mg per 100ml blood. This is an effective zero tolerance level, in line with research showing small amounts of alcohol dramatically impair driving [1], and evidence that lowering the limit reduces drink driving at all levels [2] and casualties [3]. See below for more facts, and read about Brake's not a drop, not a drag campaign.

During last year's month-long Christmas enforcement campaign, English and Welsh police forces stopped and tested 157,000 drivers, making 7,200 arrests. Read more.

At the same time as this year's crackdown getting under way, the Department for Transport is launching a THINK! drink drive TV advertising campaign. Its 'moment of doubt' ads will be aired from 4 to 23 December, warning of the consequences of drink driving.

Karen Strong, bereaved mum, said: "Everyone thinks their children are special, but Jamie really was. He was gentle and kind, and as perfect a son as any mum could hope for. It's tragic that he died; but even more tragic that his death was caused by such pointless stupidity as drinking and driving. We can't get Jamie back, but we can help to spread the message about drink driving. You need your full senses to drive safely. Please, this Christmas and New Year, don't drive after drinking any alcohol, or having any drugs: not a drop, not a drag."

Ellen Booth, senior campaigns officer, Brake, the road safety charity, said: "The festive period is a time for celebrating with the people you love. Risking lives by drinking alcohol or taking drugs and driving – even a small amount – is appallingly selfish, reckless and idiotic, and it absolutely shouldn't be a Christmas tradition. Everyone can play a role in stamping out drink and drug driving, and the terrible tragedies that result. If you know someone who takes the risk, don't let it go: speak to them. It could save their life or someone else's. And if you're tempted to take this deadly risk yourself over Christmas, think about the suffering and trauma you could inflict on others and yourself, and how easily it could be avoided by making a commitment to stay off the booze or drugs if driving, or planning to get home safely another way."

Jamie's sister Rebecca Still is also campaigning for drivers who kill to have their driving licence suspended in the run up to trial, supported by local MP Greg Mulholland. Get more information on this campaign and family photos by visiting her website jamiestillcampaign.co.uk.

Facts about drink driving

In 2011, one in seven road deaths in Great Britain involved drink drivers over the current 80mg limit. 280 deaths and 1,290 serious injuries occurred when someone was over the drink drive limit [4]. Many more drink-drive crashes are caused by drivers who only have small amounts of alcohol in their blood. A further estimated 65 road deaths per year are caused by drivers who are under the drink-drive limit, but who have a significant amount of alcohol in their blood over 50mg [5].

Research shows even very small amounts of alcohol, well under the current UK limit, significantly increase reaction times and therefore your risk of crashing [6]. With a level of 20-50mg of alcohol per 100ml blood, drivers have at least a three times greater risk of dying in a crash than those with no alcohol in their blood. This increases to at least six times with an alcohol level of 50-80mg, and 11 times with 80-100mg [7].

Advice for drivers

There is no effective way to estimate the level of alcohol in your blood by counting the units of alcohol you drink, as alcohol is absorbed at different rates depending on factors including: height, weight, tiredness, stress levels, and how much and how recently you have eaten. The only way to ensure you're safe to drive is to not drink any alcohol.

However, to help avoid 'morning after drink driving', as a guide, you can work out the time it takes to sober up by counting units consumed, and, starting from one hour after finishing drinking, adding an hour for each unit. This means that if you drink four pints of 4.5% larger, at 2.6 units each, and finish drinking at 11.00pm, you should avoid driving until at least 10.15am the next morning.

Calls to government

Brake calls for a zero tolerance limit of 20mg alcohol per 100ml of breath, to send a clear message to drivers that it should be none for the road. This limit allows for naturally occurring alcohol in the body, and is a limit set by numerous other countries including Sweden, Poland and Greece. The EU recommends a limit of no more than 50mg, and within Europe only Malta shares the UK's limit of 80mg alcohol.

Governments in Scotland and Northern Ireland have already announced their intentions to reduce drink drive limits to 50mg alcohol per 100ml blood. In Northern Ireland, newly qualified drivers and commercial drivers will have a zero tolerance limit of 20mg.

Brake calls for a zero tolerance limit because evidence is clear that even very small amounts of alcohol, under 50mg, substantially increase crash risk [8]. Surveys also show the public are confused about what is safe and legal in relation to drink driving, with many believing that one or two drinks is safe [9]. Brake believes a zero tolerance limit would help to eliminate confusion.

Brake also calls on government to give greater priority to traffic policing, to help ensure there are greater numbers of police enforcing drink and drug driving laws.

Brake

Brake is an independent road safety charity. Brake exists to stop the five deaths and 66 serious injuries that happen on UK roads every day and to care for families bereaved and seriously injured in road crashes. Brake runs awareness-raising campaigns, community education programmes, events such as Road Safety Week (19-25 November 2012), and a Fleet Safety Forum, providing advice to companies. Brake's support division cares for road crash victims through a helpline and other services.

Road crashes are not accidents; they are devastating and preventable events, not chance mishaps. Calling them accidents undermines work to make roads safer, and can cause insult to families whose lives have been torn apart by needless casualties.

End notes:

[1] The relationship between serious injury and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in fatal motor vehicle accidents: BAC = 0.01% (10mg alcohol) is associated with significantly more dangerous accidents than BAC = 0.00%, University of California at San Diego, 2011

[2] Brooks C, Zaal D, Effects of a reduced alcohol limit for driving, Australia: Federal Office of Road Safety, 1993

[3] When Sweden lowered its drink-drive limit from 50mg to 20mg per 100ml of blood, drink-drive deaths fell by 10%. The Globe 2003 issue 2, Institute of Alcohol Studies, 2003

[4] Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: 2011 provisional estimates for accidents involving illegal alcohol levels, DfT, 2012

[5] Reducing the BAC limit to 50mg – what can we expect to gain?, Professor Richard E Allsop, Centre for Transport Studies University College London (PACTS, 2005)

[6] The relationship between serious injury and blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in fatal motor vehicle accidents: BAC = 0.01% (10mg alcohol) is associated with significantly more dangerous accidents than BAC = 0.00%, University of California at San Diego, 2011

[7] Report of the Review of Drink and Drug Driving Law, Sir Peter North, 2010

[8] ibid

[9] Direct Line report on safe driving: 2009 – 2011 PART TWO Fit to drive?, Brake and Direct Line, 2010