Gary Lineker calls for drink-free driving.

15 December 2011

Car insurance brand for young drivers, ingenie, and Gary Lineker have produced a video to urge young drivers to stay safe on the road this Christmas. Lineker recommends not drinking at all before driving, following research revealing that 87%* of young drivers under the age of 24 killed or seriously injured in crashes in the UK, were over the legal alcohol limit.

In the video – available online – Lineker explains how many people underestimate the effects that alcohol has on their driving ability. These include slower reaction times and impaired judgement while out on the road. In addition, there’s no easy way of estimating how much of an effect alcohol has had on an individual as this varies from person to person. Contributing factors include age, individual weight, the type of drink consumed and how much food the driver has had.

Dr Lisa Dorn, a leading psychologist and reader in Driver Behaviour at Cranfield University, has been working alongside ingenie to provide insight into the psychological factors that put young drivers at an increased risk of a crash. She said, “Young drivers are particularly at risk of having a crash under the influence
of alcohol with the highest rate of drink-drive accidents per mile.” ingenie and Gary have also advised that designated drivers should stick to soft drinks all evening before taking on the responsibility of driving others home, and should also be aware of passengers who may have had too much to drink as they could
cause a distraction whilst driving.

Using advanced telematics technology fitted with a high frequency motion sensor, ingenie monitors driving behaviour and builds a picture of an individual’s ‘driving DNA’, including hazard perception and attitude to risk. In doing so, it can reward safer drivers with cheaper insurance premiums.