ROAD safety campaigners are warning rugby fans to be mindful of driving the morning after drinking alcohol during the Rugby World Cup.


The team behind the Road Safety Partnership ‘Morning After’ drink drive campaign, launched in 2006, is urging people to wise up to how long it takes for alcohol to pass through the body, with the ongoing World Cup from September 18 to October 31.


The partnership launched a new free app ‘Morning After Calculator’ earlier this year to help people calculate when their body is likely to be alcohol-free.


Matt Peskett, of Avon Fire & Rescue Service, currently chairs the partnership.


He said: “It takes much longer than most people think for alcohol to pass through the body which means there is often a danger of people unwittingly driving while still over the legal limit the morning after drinking.


“We are urging anyone watching the rugby, and celebrating with a drinking session after the match, to plan ahead and arrange alternative transport the following morning if they have to travel to work, for the school run, or any other engagements.


“The penalties for being caught drink driving the morning after are exactly the same as at any other time – it’s no excuse to say you thought you were fine to drive because of the length of time since your last drink.”


The ‘Morning After Calculator’ app has been produced to help people calculate roughly when it will be safe to drive the morning after drinking alcohol - and to help calculate when they should stop drinking alcohol in order to be safe to drive the following morning.


The calculator allows one hour for each unit of alcohol, plus an additional hour for the first drink to allow for the alcohol to enter the bloodstream. It then rounds up the calculation to the nearest half hour.


The calculator bases its calculation from the time the user stops drinking. Some people say this is over-cautious, but the Morning After team says it would rather be safe than sorry.


The 'hours before driving' calculation is not based on any drink drive limit - it is the length of time when the alcohol in the drinks consumed is likely to have passed through the body.

This is when the Morning After team suggests it is 'safe to drive'.