Alcohol at the wheel: The punch at Christmas time is so dangerous!

Alcohol at the wheel: The punch at Christmas time is so dangerous!

With the growing alcohol problem in Styria, the Austria (VCÖ) traffic club (VCÖ) urges to do without driving after drinking. The alarm bells ring because the number of alcohol accidents rose noticeably in the first half of 2024. In Styria alone, there were twelve additional accidents compared to the previous year as well as 29 more injuries and an additional fatalities due to the influence of alcohol at the wheel. The experts are targeting the trend towards alcoholic celebrations during the punch season, which increases dangerousness, especially if the alcohol content is often underestimated, as styria.at reports.

risk factor alcohol

Already from a blood alcohol content of 0.5 per thousand, the risk of accidents doubles, at 1.0 per thousand it increases to seven times and finally 35 times with extreme 2.0 per thousand. And the statistics are terrifying: In the previous year there were nine serious alcohol accidents in Styria on average, which resulted in 349 injuries and resulted in three deaths, such as 5min.at reported. The police have already announced increased controls. In 2022, over 5,000 drivers were caught under the influence of alcohol, a worrying trend that massively endangered traffic safety.

The VCÖ appeals to all celebrants, especially during the upcoming carnival, to use public transport or call collection taxis to get home safely. "Don’t Drink and Drive" should be the central motto. In addition, friends are reminded of the social responsibility: If someone wants to get into the car even though they have drunk, good friends should intervene and not look away.