College students have joined Road Safety GB North East and the emergency services to urge people to kick drink and drug driving out during the World Cup.
The teenagers from Stockton Riverside College have joined the road safety group, along with fire and police officers in encouraging people to arrange their transport home if planning to drink while watching matches during the tournament, or to be the designated driver.
With the World Cup tournament well underway in Qatar, drivers are being urged to ensure they and their friends and family never get behind the wheel when impaired, and to remember they may still be over the limit the next morning. It takes roughly one hour for one unit of alcohol to leave your body. A large glass of wine or strong pint of beer contains three units.
Peter Slater, Chair of Road Safety GB NE, said statistics showed that instances of drink and drug driving typically increased during major sporting tournaments, raising the likelihood of road casualties and deaths.
During both the World Cup in 2018 and Euro 2020, there was an increase in drink and drug driving injuries both on the day of and the day after England’s matches, with casualties rising from 10% to as much as 20% of all road injuries.
“We’re really enjoying the World Cup and hope England do us proud again, but we want people to do the right thing and to keep both themselves and others safe on the roads,” said Peter. “We know that people tend to socialise and drink more during the World Cup, and with Christmas coming, too, there’s even more reason for people to celebrate.
“Go out and have a great time but leave your car keys at home if you’re planning to drink; don’t even be tempted to have one drink – it can so easily lead to more. Either be the designated driver and stick to soft drinks or plan your transport home beforehand.”
Student Barzan Alshammari, from Thornaby, said: “We are appealing to people to be responsible. If someone drinks and drives, they could kill themselves or somebody else.”
In the five-year period between 2017 and 2021, there were 1,082 people injured in collisions that involved a suspected drink or drug-impaired driver in the North East. Of these people, 781 were slightly injured, 274 were seriously injured, and 27 were killed. They accounted for 13% of all fatalities on the roads during this period.
While the total number of road casualties in the region has reduced over a five-year period from 237 in 2017 to 198 in 2021, the number killed or seriously injured has remained at around the same number, with 56 in 2021 compared to 57 in 2017. This is despite the Covid pandemic having a big impact on the number of vehicles on the road during both 2020 and 2021.
Cleveland Police’s Roads Policing Operations Sergeant Mark Kewley said: “While we hope everyone enjoys the tournament, we want to remind people about the dangers of driving under the influence. There are also risks around driving the next morning, as drink and drugs can remain in the system for extended periods of time. Remember, while you may feel fit to drive, you may not be.”
Inspector Kevin Salter, from Durham Road and Armed Policing Unit, said those who choose to drink and drive risked killing themselves or someone else, which would ultimately lead to prison.
“Drink driving can have catastrophic consequences,” said Insp Salter.
“As a minimum, when caught, offenders risk losing their licence, and potentially their livelihood as a result. We’re all looking forward to the World Cup, but I would encourage anyone going out to celebrate to arrange their transport home beforehand. Our message is simple, don’t drink and drive.”
And Andrew Bright, Road Safety Co-ordinator for Cleveland Fire Brigade, urged people to do the right thing and to speak up if friends and family planned to drive after drink or drugs.
He said: “Behind these stark injury statistics are the many human stories of lives devastated by someone making the wrong choice and getting behind the wheel when impaired. Don’t let your mates drive after drink or drugs. Often, its innocent passengers and other road-users that are the victims with the driver walking away with a lifetime of regret.”
Student Mustafa Al Younes, from Darlington, said: “I think everyone is looking forward to the football, but it’s important not to drive after alcohol as your mind is not clear.”
The number of drink and drug drive casualties usually increases over the Christmas period, too, with numbers becoming particularly high from December 23 through to New Years’ Day.
During this period, 23% of all injuries involve a drink or drug impaired driver, and this increases to 30% for those killed or seriously injured.
The following table is a breakdown of drink/drug drive casualties by local authority area from 2017-2021. The figures in County Durham and Northumberland are expected to be higher as those counties are bigger.
| Local Authority | Fatal | Serious | Slight | Total |
| County Durham | 6 | 61 | 138 | 205 |
| Darlington | 1 | 10 | 21 | 32 |
| Gateshead | 0 | 12 | 75 | 87 |
| Hartlepool | 1 | 19 | 63 | 83 |
| Middlesbrough | 2 | 21 | 54 | 77 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 3 | 19 | 63 | 85 |
| North Tyneside | 1 | 9 | 40 | 50 |
| Northumberland | 5 | 36 | 91 | 132 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 2 | 19 | 55 | 76 |
| South Tyneside | 1 | 10 | 36 | 47 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 2 | 31 | 84 | 117 |
| Sunderland | 3 | 27 | 61 | 91 |
| Total | 27 | 274 | 781 | 1,082 |
The following table is a breakdown of the percentage of total injuries that drink/drug drive casualties account for in each local authority area between 2017 and 2021:
| Local Authority | Fatal | Serious | Slight | Total |
| County Durham | 12% | 15% | 11% | 12% |
| Darlington | 25% | 10% | 10% | 10% |
| Gateshead | 0% | 9% | 11% | 11% |
| Hartlepool | 10% | 19% | 14% | 15% |
| Middlesbrough | 25% | 13% | 7% | 8% |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 14% | 8% | 7% | 7% |
| North Tyneside | 11% | 8% | 11% | 10% |
| Northumberland | 13% | 9% | 9% | 9% |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 13% | 12% | 10% | 10% |
| South Tyneside | 13% | 11% | 13% | 13% |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 10% | 15% | 9% | 10% |
| Sunderland | 15% | 13% | 9% | 10% |
| Total | 13% | 12% | 10% | 10% |
For more information about Road Safety GB North East, go to www.lookoutroadsafety.co.uk.
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