Football fans are being urged to make plans to get home safely after watching England world cup games this summer.
The time difference in South America means that many games will be aired in the UK late at night.
Research for the government’s THINK! campaign shows that two-thirds of fans are planning to drink alcohol whilst watching games, but just a third have thought about how they will get home afterwards. Supporters are being warned that if they drink and drive they will face heavy penalties.
View the World Cup THINK! imagery on Flickr
Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said:
Our message is simple: if you are watching the world cup in the pub or at a friend’s house make sure you have a plan to get home afterwards.
If you drink drive, not only are you putting other road users and pedestrians at risk, the personal consequences could be devastating.
It won’t just be your enjoyment of the World Cup that will be ruined – you’ll face a heavy fine, lose your licence and could even go to prison.
With England’s first World Cup game against Italy kicking off at 11pm on Saturday 14 June 2014, fans watching away from home are being urged to book a taxi or ensure they know which night buses are operating.
Research carried out for THINK! last year calculated that the personal cost of a drink-drive conviction was often up to £50,000, with the figure taking into account legal costs, a court fine and the result of losing a job as a result of a driving ban. Research also shows that a total of 7,402 people failed breath tests during the 2010 World Cup.
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