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Drink Driving - some facts

According to DrinkDrivingFacts on average 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions, and nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit.

No pun intended, but it's a sobering thought. And, just one drink could put you over the limit. If you have had a drink and get behind the wheel your vision, reaction times, concentration and ability to calculate risk will all be affected, adversely. If you are tired and have been drinking, the risk goes up even more.

If you have ever heard someone say "I actually drive better after a drink" don't believe them! They won't. Driving is a complex activity and alcohol slows down brain function so the chance of having an accident increases. The safest way is to avoid alcohol altogether if you are going to drive.

The UK driving limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood.

One Unit of alcohol is calculated as follows: Volume of the drink(ml) x Strength of the drink(%) divided by 1000.

In England we have one of the highest alcohol/driving limits in Europe, double that of some countries. In fact some have zero alcohol levels for drivers, but, as we all absorb alcohol at different rates, when you actually go over the limit is impossible to calculate. You can't say "I have only had a pint, so I will be ok."

The Police can stop you if they suspect you have been drinking, by the manner of your driving for instance, or if they stop you for any reason, a defective back light say, and if they smell alcohol, they can ask you for a breath test. This "road side" test measures the amount of alcohol in your breath and if you are over the limit, you are arrested, simple as that. The Police routinely breath test drivers if they have been involved in a collision, even a minor one.

(On a practical note, please don't accept the advice of those who say that mints, cough sweets, Tunes, gum or garlic will fool the Police. Because they don’t!)

The Consequences

If you are over the limit and arrested, you will be taken to the Police Station and given a second test, which will show the exact amount of alcohol in your blood. If you are over, you will be put in a cell until you are sober enough to be charged with the offence. As your body breaks down alcohol at a set rate, about one unit (that's half a pint of normal strength beer, a standard small glass of wine or a single spirit) per hour, that cell could be home for several hours. When you have been charged you will be bailed to appear in Court.

Should you decline to provide the required samples, the Courts will take that as if you had given them and were over the limit. Failure or refusal to provide is taken as though you were drunk. If convicted, you will be facing a minimum of one year's disqualification from driving and a heavy fine.

Now let's just dwell on that for a moment. Imagine the effect that no car would have on your life, your family, and your job. And if you are really over the limit your licence may not automatically come back to you after the disqualification ends. The authorities can withhold it until you pass a stringent medical examination to prove you don't have a drink problem.

The conviction stays on your licence for many years, so you won't have a clean licence again for a long time. Insurance companies will weigh your premiums as a result of the conviction. Car hire will be at best difficult, at worst impossible. And, if you do have an accident and kill someone, you could go to prison, and have the prospect of living with what happened for the rest of your life.

If you do go out for a good night out and leave the car, remember the rate at which alcohol breaks down in your system. One unit per hour on average, and that is from when you had your last drink. If you drive the following morning remember the alcohol could still be in your system and you could still be over the limit.

At BEST Advice, we aren't the "nanny state" and we accept that we are all responsible for our own decisions. Where drink driving is concerned, please make the right one.