People on the Isle of Man are being urged to drink responsibly and stay safe during the Christmas and New Year period.

The annual festive safety campaign has been launched today by Public Health, the Isle of Man Constabulary and Bus Vannin.  

It uses the #DrinkSafeIOM and will be shared on social media, in public houses and on the buses.

The campaign will use the straplines ‘None for the Road – Think Bus not Busted’ – to warn about the consequences of drink driving.

The strapline ‘Pace Yourself – Drink Water, Last Longer, Feel Better’ will also be rolled out to encourage people to alternate alcoholic and soft drinks.

Chief Inspector Cathryn Bradley says: "We want to ensure that everyone can enjoy their Christmas and New Year safely and without the devastating and long lasting effects of alcohol-related offending including drink driving, which truly ruins lives.  

"Isle of Man Constabulary is working with our colleagues in Public Health and Bus Vannin to urge the public to pace themselves, remain in control and to plan ahead for a safe journey home using the extra Night Owl bus services - and also remember that you can still be over the drink-drive limit the next morning." 

Director of Public Health Dr Henrietta Ewart says: "This campaign aims to be a winning mix of education, prevention and law enforcement – it gives the clear message people should understand the risk of excessive alcohol consumption to their own health and freedom – and that of others – and encourages them to act responsibly." 

“We will measure our success in the new year using data collected by our partners and the results of a public survey, comparing the outcome against previous years. We want to learn what works best.”