In total, 36% of respondents admitted that they had ever driven a car after drinking alcohol – 26% of them did not exceed the permitted 0.5 per mille, while 10% were under the influence of pronounced alcohol, according to a survey conducted jointly by “Safe Driving School” and non-alcoholic beer “GO” , who were presented at the event “Drive responsibly!” Bikernieki track office.
The event is organized with the aim to draw public attention to various factors that affect the ability to drive a car at other times, not only in Midsummer, when there is a lot of talk about responsible driving. The data obtained from the survey clearly indicate various problem factors that we encounter on the road on a daily basis – 10% of drivers admit to driving under the influence of alcohol, exceeding 26 per cent, 26% have driven after drinking alcohol, others still regularly talk to the wheel on the phone, eating, sipping coffee or doing other side things that reduce concentration directly while driving.
“The data show that the market for alcoholic beverages is declining year by year, while the market for soft drinks is growing. If we compare the June data for this year and last year, the increase is 8%, which is particularly surprising given the impact of COVID-19. This positive trend can also be observed at the global level – there the percentage growth is even faster, ”admits Inese Vētra, the head of the non-alcoholic beer“ GO ”brand. “We want to emphasize that responsible driving is not a matter of course and does not end with not driving at the wheel. In fact, it is every thing that distracts us from the road, such as talking on the phone or writing text messages. We call on everyone to be responsible! ”
“However, our attitude towards road traffic regulations and mutual respect for each other is still quite low,” admits Jānis Vanks, the head of the Safe Driving School. “The good news is that the responsible drivers are slowly appearing, but it may be necessary to change the generation, because people still have a ‘strong school’, if we can call it that.” He also pointed to two technical driving errors that occur in most drivers: firstly, the inability to brake extremely hard if necessary, which in many situations can save or reduce the amount of a collision because the speed is lower at the time of the collision; secondly, the desire to turn the steering wheel all the way, although in reality, the less the steering wheel is turned, the easier it is to control the car. “If the car doesn’t listen when you turn the steering wheel a little, so we drive too fast, turning the steering wheel further doesn’t solve it.”
The overall statistics show that the situation is really improving – in Latvia in all parameters – fatalities, injuries and accidents as such – there is a significant decrease. “The number of fatalities has decreased by 12.3% compared to last year,” says Andris Locs, Deputy Head of the Traffic Monitoring and Coordination Bureau of the State Police. “Unfortunately, the specific situation of drunk driving does not change from year to year – an average of 3,500 drivers are drunk on an annual basis, and they are, of course, only caught, not counting motorcyclists and cyclists,” says Locs. He also points out that the most worrying thing is that the vast majority of such “caught” drivers are under the influence of alcohol, ie the alcohol concentration in the body exceeds 1.5 per mille.
Motorcyclist Nikita Lijcs also shared his experience, who considers himself a responsible driver, admitting that sometimes in a hurry he tends to exceed the allowed speed, but has never sat behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol. “Alcohol and driving are not compatible things. While sitting behind the wheel, you should be able to concentrate 100%, but under the influence of alcohol this is not possible. Even the most talented and experienced drivers will not be able to react quickly enough when necessary under the influence, ”admits N. Lijcs. For those who like to drive even faster, the motorcyclist recommends using various official opportunities, such as the Bikernieki track days. “It is better to pay and enjoy speed legally and safely than to endanger yourself, others and pay many times more expensive – financially or even with life,” says N. Lijcs.
In order to find out how responsible drivers are, the non-alcoholic beer “GO” in cooperation with “Safe Driving School” conducted a survey, this year. in July, surveying more than 600 respondents on the Internet.
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