Take care near the road

Watch where you cross

1 in 3 pedestrians

Stick with your mates

The dangers of drink walking

An unbranded beer bottle on a pool table

The Reality

In the past 18 months, the number of pedestrians dying on our roads has seen a marked increase. More than 1 in 3 of the pedestrians killed had been drinking. You don’t need to be drunk to be in danger, just a couple of drinks is enough to make your decision making a little fuzzy.

Driver drives at night in urban area with blurry vision

The Risks

Alcohol can impair our ability to judge distances, makes us less steady on our feet and delay our reaction times. It can even affect our concentration, and makes us more easily distracted by phones and friends. This means you’re at much greater risk near the road after drinking.

Crowd at a bar holding beers together to cheers

Stick with your mates

One of the best ways to stay safe when heading out for a couple of drinks, is by looking out for each other and keeping your focus when crossing the road. If one of your mates is obviously intoxicated, make sure you stick with them until they’ve found a safe ride home. Or, you could let them crash at your place.

6 tips to get home safely

A visual stressing the importance of planning ahead

Pre-plan your way home – your ‘Plan B’ instead of driving or walking all the way home. Organise a dry driver, a lift from friends or family or put aside some cash for a taxi/ride-share.

Visual of a red traffic light

Cross at traffic lights, only when the green man is showing. Jaywalking or trying to beat oncoming traffic is never a good idea.

Visual of a pedestrian walking on a footpath at a safe distance from passing cars

Make sure you’re walking safely on the footpath, not too close to the edge of the pavement or on the roadside.

A visual of a phone with crossed out

Put your phone away when you’re walking so your full attention is on the road.

Visual of two mates with one's arm across the other's shoulder

Mates help mates get home safely. Don’t blindly lead or follow mates across the road. Always pay attention and watch where you cross.

Visual of a battery half-charged

Fully charge your phone before you head out. That way you can easily organise a taxi/ride-share/lift when you need to head home.

Where to next?

Explore these popular road safety topics on StreetSmarts.