New Year's Eve: seven out of ten French people consider bad solutions after drinking

Europe 1 with AFP 2:22 p.m., December 29, 2022

Take small roads, drive slowly or drink coffee: seven out of ten French people are still considering "bad" solutions for returning home after consuming alcohol, according to a survey by Road Prevention, mobilized for New Year's Eve on December 31 .

For the 13th year, the Road Prevention association launched its awareness campaign entitled "Bien retour" by unveiling its barometer of "French people, New Year's Eve and drunk driving", Thursday during a press conference in Paris.

More than four out of five French people drink alcohol

83% of French people intend to consume alcohol during New Year's Eve festivities, with an average of 3.5 glasses, of which 23% plan to use their personal vehicle, according to the survey carried out online by the institute MOAI studies from November 18 to 24 with 1,000 individuals.

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"The alcohol factor is present in 29% of accidents and the risk of accident is multiplied by eighteen in alcoholic people", underlined Anne Lavaud, general delegate of the association, recalling that on the night of December 31, 2019 on January 1, 2020 (reference before Covid), 20 people died on the roads of France.

According to the survey, young people (over 18) will consume an average of five glasses or more, which worries Road Safety.

And 11% of French people will consume more than eight glasses.

These "weird" solutions that don't work

The general delegate said she was "upset" by observing that "still seven out of ten French people offer bizarre things as a solution" to return home after drinking alcohol.

"Take small roads, drive slowly, drink coffee or suck on a mint candy ... No, it does not work!", Hammered Anne Lavaud, noting that the French do not really know how to estimate their blood alcohol level .

In addition to spots on TV and radio, Road Safety launched in December the distribution of 25,000 breathalyzers.

It has also set up 40 awareness-raising workshops in France, to assess what a glass of alcohol is or to travel with glasses that blur vision, like an individual with, for example, 0.8 gram of alcohol in the blood.

According to Road Safety, drink-driving is one of the leading causes of road deaths.

The authorized limit is 0.5 g of alcohol per liter of blood, which corresponds to two glasses (0.2 g for probationary and learning permits).

"Sleeping there, appointing an evening captain before Christmas Eve - the one who does not drink -, testing your blood alcohol level and returning by taxi or public transport", are the right solutions, insisted Anne Lavaud.