Drink-driving limits - are you unintentionally breaking the law?

In the UK, 18 per cent of drink drivers are caught after
wrongly assuming they are under the limit after drinking alcohol the night
before.
Alcosense has revealed four pints the previous night could
mean a driver is legally over the limit until as late as 2pm the next day.
Even more worryingly, research shows over half of UK drivers
have unintentionally driven while being over the limit after drinking the night
before.
With one in six deaths on the road involving drivers over
the legal limit and a maximum penalty of six months in prison and an unlimited
fine, it is essential drivers are aware of the risks of driving.
As little as three pints of beer or three large glasses of
wine could mean you are over the limit the next day. It could be less, however,
as things like having a cold can slow the process of absorbing the alcohol and
keep a driver over the limit for longer.
In response to the figures, and with the number of drink
driving convictions expected to increase during the football World Cup in June
and July, we’ve gathered together some advice on avoiding unintentionally drink
driving.
The legal drink-drive limit
Officially, the legal limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of
alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. This is known as the blood alcohol
concentration (BAC).
There have recently been calls to lower the limit to 70
milligrammes, but there are no plans to do this yet.
The problems
The drink-drive limit raises problems for people who believe
certain urban myths. The amount of alcohol in a drink is measured in units. For
example, 10 millilitres of pure alcohol is equivalent to one unit.
However, it is impossible to calculate if you are under the
limit by simply counting units. Alcohol levels can be affected by a large
number of things, including:
- Your
size and weight: It is possible to be more affected by alcohol if you are
smaller and lighter.
- Your
sex: Women are generally smaller and therefore have less water and fat
than men.
- Your
water level: The more dehydrated you are, the greater the effects of
alcohol.
- Your
food intake: Drinking on an empty stomach increases the effect of alcohol.
- What
you drink: Spirits and stronger drinks will be absorbed more quickly.
Units
It is wrong to assume the traditional myth two pints of beer
or two small glasses of wine will result in somebody being under the alcohol
limit.
As a rough guide, one unit of alcohol is equivalent to a
small glass of nine per cent wine, a 25ml of 40 per cent spirit or half a pint
of 3.5 per cent ABV lager, beer or cider.
However, this is a very rough guide. In UK pubs, it is much more likely to be
served larger glasses of wine and stronger lager - sometimes closer to five per
cent ABV.
Alcohol content of some popular drinks
- A pint
of ordinary strength lager (Carling Black Label, Fosters) - 2 units
- A pint
of strong lager (Stella Artois, Kronenbourg 1664) - 3 units
- A pint
of ordinary bitter (John Smith’s, Boddingtons) - 2 units
- A pint
of best bitter (Fuller’s ESB, Young’s Special) - 3 units
- A pint
of ordinary strength cider (Woodpecker) - 2 units
- A pint
of strong cider (Dry Blackthorn, Strongbow) - 3 units
- A
175ml glass of red or white wine - around 2 units
- A pub
measure of spirits - around 1 unit
- An
alcopop (e.g. Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Breezer, WKD, Reef) - around 1.5 units
Could you be unintentionally over the limit?
According to Alcosense:
Allow at least 1 hour for every unit of alcohol you drink
to pass through your body before you drive but ideally 1.2 hour per unit. Your
pub will be able to tell you how many units are in your drink but a main brand
pint of beer will have anything between 2 units *(Fosters) and 3 units *(Stella)
.
Calculate the time like this:
Units consumed x 1 hour = hours until I’m clear
So if I drank 4 pints of Stella it would be: 4 pints x 3 units x 1 hour = 12
hours
If I stopped drinking at midnight, I would only just clear the alcohol from my
system by 2pm the next day!
The effects
Alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes you feel reckless,
affects physical co-ordination and reaction times and affects your judgement.
This can be particularly dangerous when driving.
The minimum sentence for being caught drink driving - even
the morning after the night before - is a 12 month driving ban. It can result
in a prison sentence and a hefty fine. There are other consequences as detailed
below:
- A
criminal record
- A
minimum 12 months driving ban or a minimum of a 3 year driving ban if you
have a previous drink driving conviction in the past 10 years
- The
possibility of a short spell in prison (up to 6 months)
- The
possibility of receiving a community order (this can include, unpaid work,
curfew, supervision and treatment orders)
- The
possibility of a hefty fine (up to £5000)
- The
possibility of losing your job
- Your
lifestyle could change drastically
- Your
motor car insurance premiums will be higher once you get your licence back