Drink Driving – The Facts

Everybody knows that drink driving is a bad idea, yet so many people continue to do it every day.  Many people believe that they are simply untouchable and that they will never be caught for something like driving under the influence of alcohol.  This is entirely the wrong way to think about such a dangerous and irresponsible act that could cause death or injury to another road user.

A drink is always nice – but be careful with it.

It is not uncommon for a person to head to the pub after a hard days work for a few drinks.  Unfortunately it is also not uncommon for these same people to get in their car and drive home afterwards.  Any number of us can think of a time when this same scenario applied to our own lives.  The problem is that many of the people that find themselves in this situation feel that they are okay and perfectly safe to drive.

The drink driving alcohol limits are actually pretty low.  Even if you feel like you might be okay to drive, if you have been drinking it is in your own best interests to avoid getting behind the wheel.  See if you can have a friend drive you home or take a taxi instead.  Every person will differ in the way that they are affected by alcohol.  A person’s age, weight, and gender can have a dramatic affect on the way their body copes with alcohol.  Metabolism will also play a role as well.  While one or two beers might have had little impact on your friend, the same amount of alcohol consumed by you could seriously impair your ability to drive.

By all means drink after work, but get a taxi home

Drink driving is putting more than just you at risk though.   It has been determined that even one alcoholic drink can impair a person’s abilities to think clearly and react responsively; these are both very important to a driver of a car.  A delayed response could cause an accident.  That accident might result in the death or injury of another person and it will be your responsibility to deal with the repercussions that will follow.

Breath tests are administered by police officers at an average of 250 a day in the UK.  To prevent yourself from being one of those subject to a positive breath test all you have to do is avoid driving if you have been drinking.  The consequences are quite harsh if you are found to be driving or are in charge of a vehicle with an alcohol level greater than the limit.  Remember that you can be arrested and charged even if you are just sitting in your stationary car with the ignition keys in your possession and your blood alcohol is in excess of the limit. It has been estimated that a person is at a minimum of a 30 per cent greater risk of having an accident if they are double the legal limit for alcohol than a person that has not had anything to drink.

The result of drink driving
If that is not enough to make you reconsider getting behind the wheel after a long night at the pub think about the number of alcohol related accidents that occur every year.  Would you be surprised to know that nearly 17 percent of fatal accidents that occur on the road each year are caused by drunk drivers?  This is a pretty significant number and all of the accidents could have been prevented if these people had simply called a taxi instead.

Make sure you get yourself a designated driver.
Many people often find themselves in the situation where they have a designated driver for their night out.  This is a great way to have a little fun at the pub and will prevent you from driving.  It will be important that whoever will be the designated driver avoids alcohol completely.  This might not be any fun for the person that is selected but this person will have your life and the lives of your friends in his or her hands.  If you see your designated driver take a drink, make sure you find another way home and take your designated driver with you.

If you are pulled over by the police while you are driving the officer may ask you to submit to a breath test.  They have to have reasonable grounds to ask but it is easy enough to smell alcohol on a person’s breath even if they tried to chew gum to cover it up.  The majority of people do not object to a breath test but those that do can expect to be quickly arrested if the officer suspects that they have been drinking.

Being arrested won’t be that glamorous

There are a few instances where the person that the police officer suspects of drunk driving will need to submit to a urine or blood test at the police station rather than take the usual second breath test.  One instance involves the person claiming that a legally prescribed medication caused the failed breath test to occur.  Another instance could be as simple as when the arresting officer did not have a breath test unit available to administer a roadside test.  If the police officer suspects the person is under the influence of illegal drugs a blood and/or a urine test are requested.

The consequences for getting caught drink driving are severe.  For those that are found guilty they can expect a maximum punishment of 6 months in prison.  A hefty fine of £5,000 pounds could also be issued.  For many, the worst punishment of all involves the mandatory driving ban which can range between one and three years in duration.  The next time you are considering drink driving, think about not being able to drive for three years if you are caught.  This however is likely to be the least of your problems.

If you happen to cause a fatal accident while you were drunk driving, your penalties will be much more harsh.  A person found guilty of this offence can expect to serve up to 14 years in prison.  The person is also subject to a fine of unlimited amount.  It is also required that anyone found guilty will be banned from driving for at least two years.  I do not know how much that really matters as the majority of people will be in jail for those two years, if not much longer.

You’ll be infront of the judge before you know it if you drink and drive

There are also a number of fines and even prison sentences that can be imposed on a person that refused to submit to a breath, urine, or blood test.  The bottom line is that drinking and driving do not mix and that is a fact.

The clear and loud message is: do not do it!