ORANGE drivers have been urged not to play “Russian roulette” with their licences in the lead-up to Christmas after they were named among the worst drink-drivers in the state.
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Figures released this month showed Orange was ranked only third behind only Coffs Harbour and Byron Bay for the number of drunk drivers caught in the last 12-month period.
Yesterday, Orange City Council launched its Leave the Car at Home campaign in a bid to highlight problem drinking at this time of year.
Council road safety officer Andrea Hamilton-Vaughan said drink-driving “has a bit if a grip on the city, and people are not taking the necessary precautions”.
“I think there’s a lot of people who are playing Russian roulette with their licence on a regular basis,” she said.
She said she had met a driver who was taking part in the Traffic Offenders Intervention Program (TOIP), run by the PCYC, after having been caught drink-driving on 15 occasions.
Ms Hamilton-Vaughan said Christmas festivities often led people to take extra risks when it came to drink-driving and she urged people to leave their car at home and take a taxi instead.
“By leaving the car at home, when you get to the end of the night, the temptation to drive home is not there,” Ms Hamilton-Vaughan said.
“There is only one choice to make and that is catching a taxi.”
Ms Hamilton-Vaughan said she wanted to remind people it only cost most Orange residents between $10 and $12 to get home after a night out.
Workplaces can register their Christmas parties online on the council website at www.orange.nsw.gov.au/planb and go in the draw for up to 10 taxi vouchers to get their employees home safely.
All entrants also go into the draw for a $500 rebate on their Christmas party.
tracey.prisk@fairfaxmedia.com.au