Medway Council's Road Safety Team actively supports the THINK! (www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk) anti-drink drive message from the Department for Transport (DfT) all year round.

The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. However, any amount of alcohol affects your ability to drive safely. The effects can include:

• slower reactions;
• increased stopping distance;
• poorer judgement of speed and distance;
• reduced field of vision.

Alcohol also tends to make you feel over-confident and more likely to take risks when driving, which increases the danger to all road users, including yourself.

There is no failsafe guide to how to stay under the legal alcohol limit or how much you can drink and still drive safely. It depends on your:

• weight;
• sex;
• age;
• metabolism;
• stress levels;

as well as what else is in your stomach and the amount and type of alcohol you drink.

• When you stop drinking, the alcohol level in your body continues to rise for many hours. Therefore, if you have drunk heavily the night before, you will almost certainly not be fit enough to drive the following morning. Check out the following website for more information about this: www.morning-after.org.uk
• Even the smallest amount of alcohol can adversely affect your driving - it takes less than you might think to become a drink-driver.
• You can't calculate your alcohol limit.
• Watch out for those dangerous "fancy a quick one?" moments.
• Never offer a drink to someone who is driving.
• The only safe option is not to drink if you plan to drive.

If you would like any road safety posters or leaflets, please do not hesitate to contact the Road Safety Team.