It’s the season to be jolly, but that doesn’t mean that you have to get so drunk that you’re a danger to yourself and others while at the station, waiting to catch the train home.
Because the season of (Christmas / end of year) parties is just getting started, Network Rail in the UK has launched a campaign meant to lower the number of drink-related incidents at train stations across the country. It includes figures that show a spike in these incidents, but also shocking footage of near-accidents that could have proved fatal to partygoers.
You can see the footage at the bottom of the page as well. It’s a collage of drunk men that stumble onto the train tracks but who come to no harm by pure chance: one is lucky to be rescued by fellow commuters and policemen, while the other barely manages to make it back on the platform before the train arrives.
According to British Transport Police data cited by The Independent, there were 189 cases of drink-fueled violence between November 2017 and January 2018, more than twice the number of the previous year. At the same time, over the past 10 years, 21 people have died of alcohol-related incidents on station platforms.
The message is clear: take the train if you’re out drinking because it’s safe, but make sure you don’t overdo it with drinking. If you do cross the line, have your mates look out for you, or you might become a statistic yourself – unlike the lucky blokes in the video.
“We want everyone to have fun and enjoy themselves over the festive period, but after a few drinks people often take greater risks, which can frequently, lead to people getting hurt or even killed,” Allan Spence, head of public and passenger safety at Network Rail, says in a statement. “Traveling home by train is absolutely the safest way. But we have seen drunk people taking a short cut across the tracks, chancing it at level crossings or falling between a train and the platforms.”
“Please take care of yourself and your friends – don't let that last drink cause bad decisions. Be a ‘First Class Mate’ and look out for those making their way home by train that may have had one too many,” Spence adds.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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