World Cup Fans Warned of Morning-After Drink Drive Risk
Football fans watching England's World Cup opener against Croatia are being warned they could be over the drink-drive limit the following morning.
With pubs allowed to remain open until 1am for England's
9pm kick-off on Wednesday, road safety campaigners say many supporters may
underestimate how long alcohol remains in the body.
A fan drinking five pints of 4% beer over the course of
the evening and leaving the pub at 1am could still have alcohol in their system
until around lunchtime on Thursday.
The warning comes as UK fans are expected to drink
almost 60 million pints during the tournament, equivalent to 1.5 million pints
every day.
Previous tournaments have demonstrated the scale of
football-related drinking. During the 2022 World Cup, pubs sold an average of
436 pints on the day of England's opening match against Iran - around 50% above
normal levels. England matches during Euro 2024 generated around 90% more pints
pulled than a typical trading day in many pubs.
Hunter Abbott from personal breathalyser firm AlcoSense
said: "Many fans will assume that because they’ve had a night’s
sleep, they'll be fine to drive to work or take their children to school the
following morning. That’s not necessarily the case.
"Five pints of average-strength lager contain
around 11.5 units of alcohol. The final whistle may have blown, but your
body needs to allow for ‘extra time’ to process that alcohol”.
An infographic
produced by AlcoSense shows that five pints of 4% beer can take around 12.5
hours to clear, although this depends on factors such as weight, sex and
drinking pattern.
The company said many motorists remain unaware that
alcohol can impair driving ability even when they are below the legal limit.
A recent AlcoSense poll found that more than a third of
people (36%) believe their ability to drive is only impaired if they are
actually over the drink-drive limit.
However, research shows drivers are 13 times more likely
to be involved in a fatal crash at the current legal limit in England and Wales
than when sober. Even at just 10mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood - one eighth
of the legal limit - the risk of a fatal collision is around 37% higher than
for a completely sober driver.
The latest Department for Transport figures show that
260 people were killed in drink-drive crashes in 2023, while a total of 6,310
people were killed or injured in incidents involving motorists over the legal
alcohol limit.
Mr Abbott added: "Just a small amount of
alcohol in your system slows reaction times, inhibits judgement and reduces
both concentration and co-ordination, increasing the likelihood of an accident.
"If you've been drinking while watching the match, whether at home or
in the pub, don't assume you're safe to drive the following morning. Leave the
car at home, take alternative transport or use a personal breathalyser to check
that you're clear before getting behind the wheel."
-ends-
16 June 2026
