Don’t forget, a small amount of alcohol in your system will affect your driving so don’t risk it, even the morning after. This is the message to music fans traveling to Electric Picnic this weekend from MEAS, the alcohol social responsibility organisation behind drinkaware.ie. This appeal is supported by the festival organizers Pod, the Road Safety Authority and An Garda Síochána. 

Your body gets rid of roughly one standard drink per hour; that’s one hour for a half a pint, or a glass of wine or one single shot to be eliminated from your body.

Fionnuala Sheehan, Chief Executive of MEAS explains, “The secret to sobering up is time – no amount of coffee, energy drinks, cold showers or even a full Irish – will speed up the process. You might feel better but it doesn’t mean you are fit to drive.”

“Quite simply, if you think you will be drinking over the weekend, it is best to make alternative arrangements. Before you head to Stradbally, either designate a non-drinking driver or consider other options. Use the drinkaware.ie website to look up the various public transport options that will get you there quickly and safely.”

Even if you feel fine when you crawl out of your tent remember that you may still be over the legal limit and could face a €5,000 fine, a six month sentence or both. Throughout the entire Electric Picnic weekend, the Garda National Traffic Bureau will be operating traffic patrols and checkpoints around Stradbally on a 24 hours basis with the aim of detecting drink driving offences and speeding.

Festival goers are also being urged to consider the risk of sitting behind the wheel in slow-moving traffic when they are exhausted after three days of camping and partying.

“The ‘morning after’ really is a danger zone for drink driving related death and injury on Irish roads. You really need to be aware that you may still be unsafe to drive the next morning. For example, after a heavy drinking session, it could take over 13 hours for alcohol to leave your system – that’s lunchtime the next day,” explained Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority. “The impairing effects of alcohol in your body the ‘morning after’ could also be doubled if you have not had enough sleep the night before. So the question you really need to ask yourself is - am I fit to drive? If not don’t risk it”, added Brett.

drinkaware.ie has produced a Festival Survival Guide, available free for all music fans attending Electric Picnic this weekend. Written by music DJ, radio presenter, travel writer and festival veteran Fionn Davenport, the handy pocket-sized guide will help music fans ensure their festival experience doesn’t turn into a nightmare – from knowing what to wear and how to avoiding being the worse for wear, to making up your tent and most importantly making your way home safely. Download a printer-friendly version here, call 01 6114811 or email festivals@drinkaware.ie for your free copy.