ALCOHOL can stay much longer in drivers’ bodies than they think, says a new campaign.

Road safety officers are warning drivers over the festive period that even if their last drink was the previous night, driving the next day could still put them at risk.

Kirklees Council’s Road Safety Team want to highlight the fact that alcohol stays in the system for much longer than most people realise.

For example, they say if you drink a bottle of 15% wine – just three 250ml glasses – you should not drive for 13 hours – that’s 1pm the next day if you finish drinking at midnight.

They are asking drivers to look at the Morning After campaign’s website – http://morning-after.org.uk  – which has an ‘alcohol clock’ image that allows people to click on each drink to find out how long each drink can stay in the body.

This campaign also supports a national TV campaign by the national Think! campaign.

This shows a man hesitating over what to buy from a bar and the barman transforming into a policeman, solicitor, boss, car salesman and girlfriend to highlight how such a decision could affect someone’s life.

Clr Cathy Scott, Kirklees Cabinet member for Streetscene, said: “Christmas and New Year give many people the opportunity to socialise and have a drink and we don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun, but it is also a high-risk time for people taking chances with driving too soon after a drink.

“We want to alert people to the fact that driving the next day could be a very dangerous thing to do if not enough time has been given for it to pass through the body.

“If in doubt, avoid driving altogether or don’t drink.”