DRINKERS are being urged to leave their car keys at home as the North-East prepares for two of the blackest days for drink drive accidents on the region’s roads.

Today and tomorrow are traditionally the worst days for road accidents involving drink drivers.

Road Safety GB North East, which is made up of local highway authorities, said as the festive season got into full swing, more people were likely to go for impromptu drinks after work and decide to drive home.

Instead, chairman Paul Watson urged people to either take public transport, or stay sober and offer to be the designated driver for the night.

He added: "One of the greatest presents you can give someone this Christmas is staying sober and offering friends and family the gift of a lift at the end of a night out.

“We know everyone wants to go out and have a good time - we are not trying to put a dampener on that - we are just urging people to be prepared and to think about how they are going to get home.”

During a five-year period between 2009 and 2013, 154 people were injured in December collisions that involved a suspected drink driver in the North-East.

Of those, four were killed, 19 were seriously injured and 131 were slightly injured.

During that same period, on December 4 and 5 alone, there has been one fatal collision, one serious and 21 resulting in slight casualties.

The worst areas in the region for drink drive casualties during December were County Durham, Darlington, Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Northumberland and Newcastle.

Males are at a higher risk of being involved in a collision involving a drink driver, both as the driver and the injured party, accounting for 85 per cent of impaired drivers and 71 per cent of people injured.

Younger people were also more likely to be involved, with 66 per cent of impaired drivers and 64 per cent of casualties being aged between 17 and 34.

While Christmas Day and New Year’s Day record the lowest casualty numbers on North-East roads for the whole of the year, of those accidents that do occur, they record the highest percentage of accidents involving a suspected drink driver.

Carol Feenan, manager of Durham’s Best Bar None group, said licensees would be doing their bit to prevent drink driving by displaying Gift of a Lift posters and flyers around bars and clubs in the region.

“Offering to stay sober and be the driver is a great gift that could ultimately save lives,” she added.