Drinking And Driving

How to stay safe this Christmas!

There cannot be anyone out there who is not aware of the dangers involved in drinking and driving. The issue has been the subject of major television campaigns and there are now warnings and guidelines on most bottles and cans of alcohol regarding the number of units we can drink before becoming unsafe to drive. However, it seems that these measures have not been nearly enough to curtail the issue of people getting behind the wheel after having more than the legal limit of alcohol and putting themselves, their passengers and other road users at risk of injury and death. But what are we legally allowed to drink when driving? What are the effects of drinking on our ability to drive? What are the penalties of being caught over the limit and what is the best approach to use when drinking on a night out?

The legal limits

Current law states that we should not exceed more than 80mg of alcohol for every 100ml of blood in our body. As a rough guide this means that women would be allowed 3 units (roughly equivalent to one large glass of wine) and men would be allowed 4 units (roughly equivalent to 2 pints of beer). However, these guidelines are not rigid as the amount of time alcohol takes to be released from the blood stream varies significantly from person to person depending on their weight, height, build and metabolism.

The effects of drinking on our driving ability

The effects of drinking on our ability to drive should not be underestimated. Even one glass of wine can affect our judgment, reactions, co-ordination and our vision. In addition, a person that has had an alcoholic drink before getting behind the wheel is more likely to take risks which could increase the chances of being involved in a collision. It is an untruth that coffee or a cold shower will help to sober you up; neither of these will speed up the process of the alcohol leaving your bloodstream.

What are the penalties of being caught driving whilst over the limit?

If you are caught driving whilst over the legal limit of alcohol, do not expect to get off lightly. As well as losing your driving license for at least 12 months you could be fined up to £5,000, you could go to prison for up to six months and you could have to pay increased amounts for your car insurance.

The best approach to staying safe

If you are planning on a night out or two over the festive period, or at any other time throughout the year, the best approach to use to ensure your safety and the safety of others is the common sense approach. If you are driving home, don’t take any chances – stick to soft drinks all night. If you do wish to drink alcohol make plans in advance as to how you will get home; book a taxi, arrange a designated driver or ask a friend or family member to pick you up. Make use of specialist companies that arrange to drive you home if you have drunk more than you planned – or book yourself into a hotel. Do not be fooled into thinking that you will be safe to drive the next morning. Alcohol takes a certain amount of time to leave your system and if you have consumed a significant amount then you could still be over the legal limit 24 hours later.

Despite the heightened awareness over recent years of the dangers of drinking and driving it remains one of the UK’s biggest killers on our roads. Christmas time sees the highest number of casualties resulting from drink drivers and we all need to be proactive in ensuring that we comply with the legal limits that are in place and constantly use the ‘common sense’ approach when enjoying our time out.

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