Drunk
on the piste?
A quarter of skiers ignore new ‘drunken skiing’ fines
Boozy British skiers could be banished to the 'dry' slopes by ‘piste
police’, as skiers are ready to ignore new penalties introduced
in European resorts. The newly installed ski marshals in Italy
and Austria will be breathalysing and fining skiers found to
be drunk on the slopes. However, new research from Churchill
Travel Insurance shows that 23% of skiers say it will not stop
them drinking.*
The insurer’s research reveals half of skiers believe
that drinking and skiing go hand in hand, but 34% leave drinking
until the end of the day by only allowing themselves a post-run
tipple. A hardcore 15% declare that they drink at lunchtime and
throughout the day.
“Our research shows that Brits are not taking the dangers
of drinking and skiing seriously. We fully support the introduction
of ‘Piste Police’, as any measures that reduce the
numbers of accidents on the slopes are a step in the right direction.” said
Paul Whymark, Head of Churchill Travel Insurance.
New safety regulations introduced in Italy over the 2003 – 2004
season have started to show an improvement in accidents on the
piste - they led to a ten per cent reduction in the number of
accidents with almost 1500 less people suffering an injury.**
Whymark added, “Drinking is just one element, but the ‘Piste
Police’ are encouraging safer skiing for everyone on the
slopes by also tackling speeding and skiing off-piste responsibly.’’
Italy and Austria account for one fifth of Churchill’s winter
sports accidents, so the insurer will be looking closely at the
effects of the ‘Piste Police’ to see if there is a
reduction in accidents in these areas. *Resarch carried out by
72 Point between 10th and 24th January 2005 amongst
1978 skiers /snowboarders.
**Italian Winter Sports Federation
3 February 2005
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