PC Langley said it took the human body an hour to process a unit of alcohol.
“So if you’ve had five pints it will take you roughly 15 hours for that alcohol to be cleared out of your system.
“People think they go home, have a coffee, have something to eat, and when they get up in the morning they think it’s fine. It doesn’t speed up or slow down the process,” he added.
With the Christmas party season in full swing, PC Langley urged drivers to plan ahead: “Leave the car at home, get a taxi, get a friend to drive you who’s not drinking.”
Devon and Cornwall Police and Vision Zero are backing the Lift Legend scheme, external in which more than 200 premises across Devon and Cornwall have agreed to provide a free soft drink for designated drivers.