Adding up cost of drink driving (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Adding up cost of drink driving

Many drink drivers caught out during the Christmas and New Year period will be anxious and concerned as to what is going to happen to them.

Carolyn Richardson, who runs the Drink Impaired Driving programme

For some, the conviction could lead to a complete change in attitude towards their use of alcohol and to how it can adversely affect their life.

They will learn to re-evaluate their behaviour and confront the potential consequences of their actions through the successful Drink Impaired Driving (DID) programme run by West Yorkshire Probation Service.

The Bradford-based programme confronts offenders about all aspects of drink driving, provides educational information about alcohol and driving, and examines the behaviour patterns which can contribute to drink driving.

People don’t know how much a unit is, and unless you are mathematically-minded it is hard to work out how much you’re drinking

– Carolyn Richardson, course facilitator

It also looks at the number of units of alcohol drivers are legally permitted to consume, and examines the medical effects of alcohol such as the rate of absorption into the bloodstream.

“The majority of people do not know what the legal limits are, and are confused by the unit measurements,” says programme facilitator Carolyn Richardson. “Almost everyone who comes on the course says that it is difficult to understand and should be taught in schools.”

This week a committee of MPs called for a shake-up of drinking guidelines amid fears they are unclear. The current ‘sensible’ limits are up to four units of alcohol a day for men and three for women. Committee chairman Andrew Miller said public understanding of what an alcohol unit looks like is ‘poor, although improving’.

Adds Carolyn: “People don’t know how much a unit is, and unless you are mathematically-minded it is hard to work out how much you’re drinking. Also, bars often serve drinks such as wine in large glasses, so you could drink the full quota of units in one glass but be unaware of it.”

The course, which concentrates on group work, examines such questions as the time it takes for a unit of alcohol to pass through the body and the myths surrounding alcohol consumption.

“There are many myths, such as the fact that drinking coffee sobers you up, that you will be okay provided you eat a meal with the alcohol, and that it will be fine to get up and drive the morning after,” says Carolyn. “People think that sleeping it off means you have sobered up, but that is not the case and a lot of people get caught.

“We ask people to keep a drink diary to create an awareness as to how much they are drinking and when, and look for any patterns. Some people drink more if they are feeling emotional or down.”

The committee of MPs also advised that drinkers should give themselves two alcohol-free days a week to help combat health problems.

Almost one in six deaths on the road involves alcohol and it is the major cause of death among males aged between 15 and 24 in road traffic incidents.

But many of those convicted of drink driving are not caught swerving across the carriageway, nor are they involved in an accident. Many are caught driving from A to B: home from the pub, or from a friend's house. Some may display signs of not being fully alert – failing to turn on their lights immediately, or driving slightly erratically.

“If you’ve had something to drink, and you get into the car and drive, it is a bit like Russian roulette – at some point you will get caught,” says Carolyn. “People who have had a drink and know that they are over the limit are more at risk as they are looking around for the police and not fully focusing on the road.”

The DID programme, increases offenders’ factual knowledge about the effects of alcohol on the body. Offenders are also taught to develop their ways of thinking, with the aim of enabling them to plan ahead.

“A lot of people take the car to the pub and have a pint, intending to go on to orange juice. But once they've had an alcoholic drink their planning goes out of the window.”

Most people assume that Christmas and New Year is the time of year when most drink drivers are caught, but, says Carolyn, that is not the case. “There are more convictions in summer due to people attending barbecues and spending time in beer gardens.”

Some of those attending the DID programme give up alcohol completely after doing the course. Others abandon their cars. “I decided not to drive again – now I take the bus,” says one. “I learned a lot from the course.”