04 Jul Alcohol Awareness Week: Almost two in three festival drivers don’t wait until they feel sober enough to drive home
As festival season kicks into high gear and with Alcohol Awareness Week beginning yesterday (3rd-9th July), the experts at Uswitch temporary car insurance, have conducted an eye-opening survey shedding light on the travel behaviours and alcohol-related concerns of festival goers when driving home.
The Uswitch team questioned 2,034 adults across the UK who have attended a festival in the past five years or are planning to attend a festival this year and revealed some shocking statistics.
When it comes to travelling home from festivals, the research showed that almost half of the respondents (47%1) choose to drive.
Car travel emerged as the most popular mode of transportation, with those aged 45-54 travelling by car the most(54%2), followed by the 18-24 age group (35%3).
To put that in perspective, considering the colossal scale of events like Glastonbury with its 210,000 attendees, an estimated 99,000 festival-goers would have made their way home by car at the end of the festival.
The Uswitch found the amount of alcohol that drivers were drinking at festivals, before deciding whether or not to drive home after the event, was a consideration for a significant majority of festival goers (81%4).
But only half (56%5) strongly prioritise this consideration and worryingly almost one in five (18%) festival goers do not consider their alcohol consumption at all when deciding whether or not to drive home.
The Uswitch experts were most concerned by the statistic that revealed that almost two thirds of drivers (63%6) wouldn’t wait until they felt sober enough to drive home putting both themselves, their passengers, other drivers and pedestrians at risk of injury.
18-24-year-olds are the least likely to consider their alcohol consumption before getting behind the wheel to drive home from a festival (23%5) followed by 25-34-year-olds (19%5).
Leoni Moninska, expert at Uswitch temporary car insurance, said: “The dangers of drink driving are all too clear, with more than 4,62014 accidents caused by drivers over the limit each year. For festival goers it is totally avoidable, they can either wait on site for their alcohol levels to drop to legal limits or, if they have sober friends, they can easily take out a temporary car insurance to allow them to drive their car instead.”
“If you have any concerns about yours or your friends alcohol levels, you can pack a breathalyser as part of your festival kit. You can usually pick these up easily, whether it’s a single use breathalyser for a few pounds or a multi-use one to keep in the car for about £50. Having this to hand will ensure whoever is driving is legally able to do so, and make sure they are being safe on the road”
In anticipation of Alcohol Awareness Week, Uswitch also delved into festival goers’ understanding of the time it takes for 4 units of alcohol to leave their system after consumption. Only one in five (20%12) of the respondents accurately estimated that alcohol is typically metabolised at a rate of approximately one unit per hour. It is important to note that this rate can vary depending on factors such as an individual’s body size, gender, food intake, liver health, and metabolism.
Getting sleep at a festival can be very difficult. Sleep can be an important factor when it comes to burning off units of alcohol, for example four and a half hours of sleep would typically be enough to burn off 4.5 units or about two pints of beer.
Advice from Police UK states: “The legal alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland for driving is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. In Scotland the limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 22 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.”
“There is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit, since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you’ve eaten as well as other factors.
“It’s impossible to get alcohol out of your system quickly, it always takes time. Even though people may think a shower, water and a cup of coffee (or other ways of ‘sobering up’) may work, they only make you feel better but won’t remove the alcohol from your system.”
“If you’ve been out drinking, you may still be affected by alcohol the next day and could lose your licence if you drive and are still over the legal limit.”
“Alcohol affects everyone differently and any amount can impair your ability to drive, even if you ‘feel fine’. The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving as even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit. If you’re driving, don’t drink any alcohol at all.”
Passengers are also worried about their designated driver’s ability to drive home safely, with two thirds (65%6) of respondents admitting to expressing concerns about their own or their friends’ alcohol consumption prior to embarking on the journey home. The worries are particularly prominent among the 25-34 age group, with 69%7 acknowledging their concerns.
Another alarming discovery is the discomfort experienced by passengers in someone else’s car when driving home from a festival. More than half (58%8) of respondents admitted to feeling uneasy. Among those aged 25-34, 63%9 expressed concerns about the driver’s previous night’s alcohol consumption, as well as their own hangover. Even among the 55+ age group, 45%10 reported similar discomfort.
These findings highlight the pressing need to address the potential risks associated with driving after a festival. Uswitch urges festival-goers to prioritise their safety and consider alternative options, such as temporary car insurance, which allows third parties such as friends and family to drive home and reduce the risk of dangerous driving.
For sober drivers, the experts at Uswitch temporary car insurance have shared their tips for drivers heading to festivals this year.
Service the car before taking it on the road, especially if it’s going to be unused for a few days before being driven back. A few check-ups can make sure you avoid breaking down on the journey home, and that everything is up to scratch should you be involved in an accident, especially as the excess on temporary car insurance policies tends to be higher than regular car insurance policies.
If in doubt of whether you feel up to driving, do not drive. Seek alternative modes of transport such as buses, coaches or trains or wait until you are completely sober. Having a breathalyser in the car to double check can help minimise doubt when deciding whether to get behind the wheel or have a friend drive or not.
Consider using Uswitch Temporary Car Insurance to insure a sober friend on your car to drive you home.
Pack properly and do the necessary checks before setting off. Taking extra safety precautions is essential to staying safe, especially when driving home after a festival with multiple passengers and luggage.
Ensure you have everything you need before setting off, just in case you are pulled over, involved in an accident or need to find your way home:
Full driving licence
Copy of your DVLA driver record and a licence check code if needed
Your vehicle registration document
A copy of your our motor insurance certificate
Sat-nav
Maps
Jumper leads
Flashlight
Blankets
Umbrella
Waterproof jackets
Jack
Wheel removal tools
Batteries
Duct tape
