What will happen to you if you have been caught driving whilst under the influence of alcohol?

Of all the driving offences that are committed on the UK roads – and there are many – driving whilst under the influence of alcohol is considered the most serious and, understandably, carries the most severe penalty. Drunk drivers cause the deaths of thousands of people on our UK roads every year, despite campaigns by advertisers, the government and drink’s companies to curtail these problems. This article looks at the levels of alcohol you are legally allowed to drink before getting behind the wheel, what the police will do if they stop you on suspicion of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol and what penalties you will face if convicted.

Common sense (as well as numerous drink driving campaigns) tells us that the best course of action if we intend to get behind the wheel is not to drink any alcohol at all. Even the smallest amount of alcohol can interfere with your vision, response times, decision making ability and concentration levels. However, the law states that the maximum amount of alcohol you can have in your body, to stay within the law whilst driving, is 80mg of alcohol for every 100ml of blood. This equate to 4 units for a man (one pint of strong lager) and 3 units for a woman (one 175ml glass of wine).

If you are stopped by the police on suspicion of drunk driving they will breathalyse you to ascertain whether or not you are over the limit. If you fail to provide a specimen of breath on request, without a reasonable excuse, you are committing a criminal offence.

The penalty for failing to provide a specimen of breath is a discretionary disqualification, 4 penalty points on your licence and a fine of up to £1000.

If the breathalyser shows that you are indeed over the legal limit, and you are convicted of driving whilst under the influence of alcohol, you can expect to face a hefty penalty. The penalty will include a mandatory disqualification from driving and/or a fine of up to £5,000 and/or a prison sentence of up to six months.

Drink driving is the most serious of the driving offences quite simply because it can have the most horrific consequences. Think carefully before you get behind the wheel, and to avoid any doubt avoid alcohol altogether when driving.

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