Bikers are being warned to 'wise up' over the potentially devastating consequences of riding the morning after consuming alcohol.

The call came as the UK marked Alcohol Awareness Week (July 7-13), with organisers pointing out that road fatalities involving alcohol are now running at their highest level since 2009.

Over 300 people died on the roads last year in incidents where one of those involved was over the limit, and for the motorcycling community, around 10 per cent of all biker fatalities are found to be over the limit. That’s around 35 bikers a year – or nearly one a week.

In total, there were 4,620 collisions in all types of vehicles that involved someone who was over the limit, 500 of which came between the hours of 6am-12pm.Of those 500 collisions, 30 resulted in a fatality – and 130 in serious injury.

On the back of those figures, the Morning After campaign is calling on riders to be aware of how long it takes for alcohol to pass through the body – especially when planning to ride the morning after a night out.

On average it takes around one hour per unit of alcohol, though this can vary depending on a number of factors such as a person’s body weight and food intake.

As a result, there is a real risk that people who would not dream of riding their motorbike, scooter or moped after drinking may still be unwittingly over the alcohol limit the morning after.

For example, it can take as long as 10-and-a-half hours for four pints of beer to pass through the body.

The advice from the Morning After campaign is to always err on the side of caution – and where possible, leave the bike at home the next day.

For those who must ride, the Morning After campaign has a calculator that allows you to work out roughly when it will be safe to drive the morning after drinking alcohol. The calculator can also help estimate when to stop drinking alcohol if you have to ride the following morning.

In 2024, the calculator was used more than 400,000 times, helping motorists stay safe on their everyday journeys.

Peak times were over the Christmas period, and during the summer months – periods when alcohol consumption tends to increase.

The Morning After campaign said:

"Given the potentially fatal consequences, we know that most people wouldn't dream of riding after drinking alcohol.

 

"However, awareness of how long it takes for alcohol to pass through the body is significantly lower, creating a real morning after problem.

 

"Simply put, even the smallest amount of alcohol can impact your riding ability – whether recently consumed or lingering in your system from the night before.

 

"That's why we would always recommend none for the road to keep yourself, and others, safe. It really isn't worth the risk."

 

You can find the Morning After calculator at https://morning-after.org.uk