A quarter of Swiss admit to drink driving

A quarter of Swiss drink and drive Keystone-SDA

Nearly one in four Swiss claim to have driven after consuming alcohol. This rate is particularly high in comparison with other European countries, warns the Swiss Accident Prevention Bureau.

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The agency is calling for caution in the run-up to the festive season.

According to the study, carried out in 2023 in 39 countries, including 22 in Europe, 23% of Swiss claim to have driven at least once after consuming alcohol in a 30-day period. In Europe, the rate is only 15%.

The 2023 survey, carried out in collaboration with 14 cantonal police forces, shows that almost 4% of motorists drive after drinking alcohol, and 0.4% have a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.5 per mille. At night, the rate is even higher, with one in seven drivers under the influence of alcohol.

Last year, 31 people were killed and 506 seriously injured in alcohol-related road accidents. Alcohol was involved in almost 12% of accidents resulting in serious injury. The situation has not improved over the last 10 years, deplores the accident prevention agency.

Young drivers: an improvement

However, it notes that measures targeting young drivers appear to be bearing fruit. The under-30s are generally behaving more responsibly than their elders.

In the run-up to the festive season, the agency recommends that drivers refrain from drinking alcohol before getting behind the wheel or, if they have had a drink, leave their vehicle where it is and take a cab or public transport home. It recommends carpooling, with a sober driver designated in advance.

In any case, people who have been drinking should be prevented from getting behind the wheel. For their part, hosts are invited to offer non-alcoholic beverages.

Translated from French by DeepL/mga

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