Avoid your business becoming a ‘turkey’ this festive season, writes Ed Dubens of risk management company Interactive Driving Systems. It’s important to have a plan to ensure you and your staff don’t drink and drive – especially after the Christmas party.We welcome the launch of the Christmas drink-driving campaign.

We’re keen that at-work drivers and their families are vigilant when driving the morning after a night out.

It can take many hours for alcohol to leave the body.

Drivers can be over the limit unwittingly when they drive to work the next day.

Research suggests that nearly one-in-five drink-drive offences are by employees driving to work the morning after a night out when they are still over the limit.

All employers should specifically raise awareness of morning-after drink-driving.

Here are some tips to plan a successful Christmas party

• If you are organising a Christmas party, think about how you and your invitees will travel.
• If you plan to drink alcohol, make arrangements in advance for a non-drinking ‘designated driver’, hire a minibus for the end of the night, or take a taxi.
• Try to speak to each of your guests before they leave the party.
• Trust your instincts – if you think someone is ill-equipped to drive, call them a cab, arrange a ride with a sober friend, or encourage them to stay over.
• Just don’t get in behind the steering wheel if you’ve had any alcohol. Call a taxi or get a lift with someone else.
• Ensure that anyone travelling to work the next day is aware of the ‘morning after’ effect.

Interactive Driving Systems runs a Virtual Risk Manager System. More details can be found at www.virtualriskmanager.net.