Shock horror. All the service areas in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria have been doing it for years. Probably the rest of Europe as well, I have no experience of those.

Edited by Mike H on 19/01/2024 at 09:07

I remember seeing the first services open for alcohol and thought it sent the wrong message to drivers especially if road is the only way you can get there.

But having said that, if people want to drink and drive they can just get it from the supermarket and take it in the car with them, so where they get it from is academic.

Also, drink driving is less of an issue for professional drivers then it is for car drivers, as most professional drivers have to return their vehicle back to the depot and alcohol on their breath will be detected by the smell.

Passengers are allowed to drink when in the car, so why not have it for them ?

I have often wondered why Vosa do not station themselves at the services and be more proactive in checking drivers for drink, drugs, vehicle safety/maintenance and driving hours. Pretty much all truckers will stop in the services at some point and therefore Vosa do not have to go looking for them. I can only assume they have little interest in really stopping it ? I see no other reason for not doing it.

In 35 years or so I have never been stopped by Vosa.