A brand new low-alcohol beer has been launched by a prepare operator in a bid to sort out the variety of passengers having drunk accidents throughout the festive interval.

The Security Thirst beer, at 0.5% alcohol, might be stocked onboard Avanti West Coast companies, which run on the West Coast Fundamental Line between London Euston and Scotland.

The corporate mentioned the pale ale will create a “extra pleasant journey expertise” and assist passengers “drink responsibly”. The beer, created in partnership with Birmingham Brewing Firm, is served in a can with a design impressed by heritage railway wayfinding indicators, and options the slogan “Rail security simply acquired tasty”.

Figures from the Rail Security and Requirements Board (RSSB) present the speed of recorded accidents on Britain’s rail community the place intoxication was a doable issue soared throughout the festive get together season final 12 months.

The variety of every day incidents between November 24 and New Yr’s Eve in 2023 was 45% increased than the remainder of the interval within the 12 months to the top of March 2024.

A complete of 115 incidents had been reported throughout the festive interval, however that precise determine is more likely to be increased due to some accidents not being reported or workers failing to establish that intoxication was a doable explanation for a mishap.

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Avanti West Coast director of security, safety and atmosphere Dave Whitehouse mentioned: “We wish the railway to be the transport of selection when persons are heading out to take pleasure in themselves throughout the festive season, and whereas our clients are out on the community we would like them to be secure too.

“This time of 12 months our community is busier all through the day and our workers are readily available to assist everybody get to their vacation spot.

“The Security Thirst marketing campaign is a good reminder to drink responsibly to create a extra pleasant journey expertise for everybody taking a journey with us in addition to our colleagues.”

RSSB chief government Mark Phillips mentioned: “It is a incredible initiative.

“Yearly within the run-up to Christmas, our information exhibits a rise in passengers being injured after having fun with a bit an excessive amount of seasonal hospitality.

“Everybody ought to take pleasure in themselves, however by ingesting responsibly they may keep secure and assist cut back stress on the railway at one among its busiest occasions.”

The charity Drinkaware described the launch as “a fantastic transfer”, including that round a 3rd of individuals within the UK devour low and zero-alcohol merchandise to “reasonable their ingesting”.

The Authorities’s street security marketing campaign Suppose! launched an initiative final month urging younger drivers to stay to zero-alcohol drinks earlier than getting behind the wheel this Christmas.

It entails pubs and bars displaying 0% branding on drip mats and workers T-shirts, and options an animation exhibiting a driver and their licence disappearing into the underside of a beer glass, with the message “Drink a bit, danger lots”.

it comes as no and low-alcohol beers soar in recognition as 86% of pubs supply the choice to develop into “much more inclusive”.

Pubs are anticipated to promote a report 140 million pints of low and no-alcohol beer throughout the UK this 12 months, up from greater than 120 million final 12 months, or 12% of all gross sales for that 12 months alone and up by 14% on 2022.

Among the many 86% of pubs now serving no and low-alcohol beer, 8% are serving it on draught, up from simply 2% in 2019.

Within the UK, the present threshold for “alcohol free” is 0.05% ABV (alcohol by quantity), when it may be 0.5% ABV in different nations.