Drivers warned about alcohol in their system on morning after night out

ANYONE PLANNING to drive the morning after a night out should use an alternative means of travel if they are in any doubt about whether they still have alcohol in their system, Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said yesterday.

Speaking at the launch of the Morning After anti-drink-driving Christmas campaign, he said the presence of alcohol in the system impaired driving abilities.

“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 campaign is jointly organised by drinkaware.ie – a website set up by Meas, the drinks industry body that promotes responsible drinking – and the Road Safety Authority.

This year’s anti-drink-driving campaign comes just weeks after the introduction of lower-driving limits which saw a reduction in the maximum blood-alcohol level to 20mg per 100ml of blood in some cases.

Chief executive of drinkaware.ie Fionnuala Sheehan said people needed to think about whether they still have alcohol in their system when getting into their cars.

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

“No amount of coffee, energy drinks, cold showers or breakfast rolls will speed up the elimination of alcohol from our systems,” said Ms Sheehan.

Drinkaware.ie has a calculator to help determine how many units of alcohol are in different drinks.

Chrismas travel: Public transport arrangements

Iarnród Éireann:Dart and InterCity services will cease at 9pm on Christmas Eve, with no services on Christmas Day or Stephen's Day. Normal services resume on December 27th, with the exception of New Year's Eve when they will stop at 9pm. See irishrail.ie

Luas:There will be no Luas service from 8pm on Christmas Eve until 9am on December 26th. Check website for details on New Year's Eve services: luas.ie

Dublin Bus: Will operate Nitelink services on certain days over the period. Regular services will stop at 9pm on Christmas Eve, and recommence on St Stephen's Day. See dublinbus.ie

Bus Éireann:Will operate additional Niterider services in Leinster and Cork. See buseireann.ie