CHRISTMAS revellers are being urged to stand up to designated drivers who break their promise by drinking booze.

Road safety charity Brake and insurance company Direct Line are appealing to party-goers to strengthen their resolve and help prevent tragedies this festive season.

Research released by both organisations show that one in ten people admit driving after drinking so much they think they were over the legal limit in the past year.

Only 36 per cent said they would refuse to get in the car if their designated driver had been drinking, while one in eight say they have potentially or definitely been a passenger with a driver who was over the limit in the past year.

Eighty per cent of those asked said they never drive first thing in the morning after drinking a lot of alcohol – up from 72 per cent a decade ago.

In 2012, 280 people were killed and 1,210 suffered serious injuries in crashes caused by drivers over the drink-drive limit.