'Drinking and driving don't mix'

MOTORISTS who choose to drink and drive are being warned they will have nowhere to hide - as police launch their summer drink drive campaign.This summer, Avon and Somerset Police is warning drivers - drinking and driving don't mix.Force road policing unit head, Superintendent Andy Pullan, said: "There are lots of myths out there that people use as excuses for having a drink and then getting behind the wheel of a car."The reality is that there are no excuses and the only safe option is not to drink at all if you drive. "Any amount of alcohol affects your ability to drive safely."The effects can include slower reactions, increased stopping distance, poorer judgement of speed and distance and reduced field of vision."National figures show that if you drive at twice over the current legal limit (80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood) drivers are more likely to be involved in a fatal crash compared to a driver who has not been drinking. During August officers will be out in force cracking down on known drink drive hotspots using roadside checks.They will also take the opportunity to provide law abiding motorists with some car crime prevention advice.Each year 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured nationally on Britain's roads in drink drive related crashes. In Avon and Somerset, eight people lost their lives in 2006 and 62 were seriously injured as a result of drink drive collisions.