"After whisky, driving risky"

“After whisk(e)y, driving risky” (or “After drinking whisk(e)y, driving is risky”) is road sign that has been printed on many images. The sign has been popular in Central Asia.

“After whisky, driving risky” and “After Whiskey Driving Risky” have been cited in print since at least 2004. There is a 1937 citation of “After Whisky, Driving is Risky” that was entered in a Woman’s Christian Temperance Union slogan contest, but this use appears isolated.

“AFTER DRINKING WHISKY, DRIVING IS RISKY” was posted on Twitter by Raghavendra S on August 20, 2010. “After drinking whiskey driving is risky” was posted on Twitter by Henrik Johansson on July 9, 2011.

Newspapers.com
19 February 1937, Albuquerque (NM) Journal, “Senator Steyskal Wins Safety Slogan Prize” (by the WCTU—ed.), pg. 1, col. 5:
Other Slogans Praised
Some of the other slogans the judges considered of high merits are:
(...)
“After Whisky, Driving is Risky.”

Google Books
Himalaya
By Michael Palin
New York, NY: St. Martins Press
2004
Pg. 216:
Our diver, chewing on the betel with grim determination, doing is best to make up time, narrowly avoiding an ‘After Whiskey Driving Risky’ sign, but by the time we reach the church, the service we’ve come to film has long begun.

15 May 2004, The Guardian (London, UK), Weekend: “Heaven Up Here” by Alexander Chancellor, pg. 34:
“After whisky, driving risky” said one such warning on a hill road out of Rishikesh, which was odd since Rishikesh is a dry, vegetarian town.

Google Books
Ladakh:
Land of Magical Monasteries
By Bob Gibbons and Siân Pritchard-Jones
Varanasi, India: Pilgrims Pub.
2006
Pg. XV:
“After whiskey,
driving is risky.”

31 July 2006, The Hindu (Chennai, India), “Signboards from humour heaven, pg. 1:
A few kilometres ahead, another one sagely announced, “If you are married, divorce speed”. Some were more matter of fact - “Safety Saves” - to make sure the point was driven home; or “Valley is deep, don’t go sleep” or even the less poetic “Peep peep, don’t sleep”. If these didn’t make a dozing driver sit up and take notice, what would? Some appealed to drivers who took to the roads after downing a couple of drinks - “Drive on horsepower, not rum power” or “After whisky, driving risky”.

3 September 2006, Sunday Times (London, UK), “Will you just shut up!” by Joanna Duckworth, pg. 22:
On our final day, we once again took to the road. Switchbacking past unequivocal signs such as “After whisky driving risky” and “Alert today, alive tomorrow”, the American decided to eat several rich chocolates.

Google Books
A Long Walk in the Himalaya:
A Trek from the Ganges to Kashmir
By Garry Weare
Yarraville, Australia: Transit Lounge Publishing
2007
Pp. 28-29:
No doubt a budding inspector general had spent weeks creating such inspirational one-liners as:

‘This is highway, not runway.’
‘Peep peep, don’t sleep.’
‘Road is hilly, don’t be silly.’
‘Fast won’t last.’
‘After whisky, driving risky.’

9 February 2008, Sydney (New South Wales) Morning Herald, “Highways to hell by Fran Molloy. pg. 8:
“There were classic Indian road safety signs all the way,” Pickard recalls. Signs included messages such as “This is highway, not runway” and “After whisky, driving risky”.

Twitter
Julia Smola
@juliasmola
Photo: After Whisky Driving Risky http://tumblr.com/xwq1r7grn
3:13 AM · May 11, 2009·Twitter Web Client

Twitter
Sandip Ghosh
@Sandy3010
Replying to @v_shakthi
@v_shakthi i saw sometime back on NH7…“after whiskey..driving risky”....wtf…
7:20 AM · Oct 20, 2009·Twitter Web Client

Twitter
Raghavendra S
@shirodprasad21
#BROquotes “AFTER DRINKING WHISKY, DRIVING IS RISKY.”
1:27 PM · Aug 20, 2010·Twitter Web Client

Twitter
Henrik Johansson
@henrikj
After drinking whiskey driving is risky - Outside Darcha, Himachal Pradesh, Indian Himalayas http://flic.kr/p/a24Ybx
5:01 PM · Jul 9, 2011·Flickr

Facebook
Wanderlust travel magazine
January 25, 2013 ·
“After whisky driving risky”

23 July 2015, The Guardian (London, UK), “Weekend sex—my breakfast in bed had an ulterior motive,” pg. 32:
The UK may be experimenting with chatty road safety signs (Someone loves you, drive carefully, 22 July), but India is streets ahead. Drive through the Indian Himalayas and you’ll see, “Driving is risky after whisky”, “Be gentle on my curves” and “Stop gossiping, let him drive”.
Craig Jeffrey
Oxford

Google Books
Catch the Travel Bug
By Michael SN Godfrey
Partridge Publishing Singapore
2018
Pg. ?:
There are a lot of excellent road safety signs. Some we liked were “Driving is risky after whiskey”, “If married divorce speed”, ...

12 September 2019, The New Zealand Herald (Auckland, New Zealand), Did you know ..., pg. A32:
In order to promote safe driving, Bhutan has rhyming road signs with slogans including “After drinking whisky, driving is risky”, “For safe arriving, no liquor in driving” and “On the bend, go slow friend”.

Twitter
prateet pradhan
@prateet_amgsu
After Whisky
Driving Risky
Good message
#roadsideslogan
#policememes
#manipurpolice
#trafficpolice
#imphal
@ManipurPolice @TourismManipur @NBirenSingh
12:11 PM · Dec 28, 2019·Twitter for Android

Twitter
kylo ren
@enderwillrise
after whiskey
driving risky
5:46 AM · Feb 13, 2020·Twitter Web App