Drink driving "has cost too many lives"

Wednesday 11 December 2019

Drink driving offences, some of which have had fatal consequences, remain too high in Guernsey and a campaign is now underway to show people that there are "no excuses" for putting yourself and others in danger.

The Health Improvement Commission, along with Guernsey Police, have worked with Specsavers Creative to redesign the anti-drink drive message.

The new campaign, titled 'It’s a small island’, aims to get people thinking about the close-knit community they live in and how there’s no excuse for drink driving.

And yesterday a "mock-up" accident was set up at the Fire Station, depicting a motorcyclist receiving emergency treatment after being hit by a drink driving motorist. 

Although staged, Guernsey Police Roads Policing Inspector Tom Marshall said it represented the kind of incident that has become far too familiar. 

"This is not a fictitious scenario - it is one that happens more often than it should," he said. "The problem with drink driving is that it affects people’s spatial awareness and they don’t know where people are around them."

Pictured: Tom Marshall said there are no excuses for drinking and driving. 

"That collision is going to affect the driver, their family and friends, the motorcyclist, their family and friends, and other members of the public who are caught up in it.

"One person’s poor decision making can have an impact on a lot of people." 

"Our small roads are challenging enough at the best of times and putting alcohol into the equation is a recipe for disaster."

On a small island, Mr Marshall said there were many ways to get home responsibly - whether that is having a designated driver, walking, getting a taxi or using the night bus. 

"There really are no excuses for drink driving. There have been too many cases of it and there have been people who have died. On this small island where nowhere is that far away there are lots of options for how to get home and there are no excuses for making bad decisions like this."

Pictured: Andrea Nightingale said drink driving is a recipe for disaster.

Drug & Alcohol Strategy Coordinator Andrea Nightingale said drink drive convictions have remained consistent in recent years. In order to help combat that, they have designed a campaign that will run throughout the year, constantly reinforcing the message not to drink and drive. 

"Using the emergency services we want to get the message across to all islanders that it impacts everyone concerned in the accident, not just those involved and their families, but the emergency services too," she said. 

"We had 80 drink driving offences last year and that is far too many. Our small roads are challenging enough at the best of times and putting alcohol into the equation is a recipe for disaster."

Pictured top: The 'mock-up' accident staged by emergency services yesterday.