More young men die from drink driving than any other group of people
Since 1979, when detailed reporting began, there has been an almost six-fold reduction in the number killed in drink drive accidents and a similar drop in seriously injured casualties.
For drivers, alcohol can:
Reduce your ability to see distant objects; your night vision can be reduced by 25percent. Make you have blurred and double vision. Reduce your ability to perceive what is happening around you. Make you lose your peripheral vision.
Alcohol increases the risk of accidents at work and of fires Statistics reveal the extent to which alcohol increases the risk of accidents of all kinds:
Alcohol is a factor in up to one in four workplace accidents. The effects of alcohol can last longer than you think Even after alcohol has left your bloodstream, you’re more likely to have an accident. In one study, 14 hours after drinking, two-thirds of a group of pilots could not perform routine tasks in a simulator, despite the fact that all the alcohol had left their system.
If you’ve had an accident when you’ve been drinking, other effects are:
Your recovery from injury may be hindered. This is because alcohol affects your circulation and the immune system. It’s harder for doctors to diagnose serious conditions such as head injuries when a patient is drunk. Alcohol can interfere with anaesthetic and other medication, meaning operations and treatment may be delayed.
Just for today
I will take my recovery home with me. The AA Estcourt branch hosts meetings every Tuesday at Forderville Primary School from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Desigan on 082 849 3014.
The AA Winterton branch hosts meetings every Thursday at the Springfield Church opposite the police station from 7pm to 8pm. Contact Dolly on 071 688 5330 or Virgilo on 079 688 0432.
