Would you shop a tanked-up driver?
Did you know that around 20,000 people who are alive today should thank the various “drink drive” campaigns run over the last 13 years? Unfortunately this figure is unlikely to continue rising that much because new generations of young drivers seem to have become blasé about the dangers of drink driving.
How do we know this? Road safety charity Brake carried out a survey of 1,000 young drivers still in full time education, with the following results:
- 27% admitted drink driving
- 12% had drunk three pints or more before driving
- 60% of those who admitted drinking more than five pints then driving were unlicensed
- 22% claimed alcohol made them a safer driver
- 50% said alcohol did not affect their driving
- 16% thought alcohol made them drive more dangerously
Another survey by Moto found that over 50% of the young male drivers and over 3% of the young female drivers questioned, say they have got behind a wheel knowing they were drunk in the eyes of the law. And what’s even more worrying is those who say they do it, are doing it regularly. Provisional Department for Transport figures for 2005 back the surveys and indicate that 20% of drivers aged 19 and under who died in crashes were over the drink-drive limit, compared with 11% in 1991.
The legal limit in the UK is 80 milligram’s of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, which is quite generous in comparison to the rest of Europe. Unlike our European neighbours, we have a binge drinking culture, which is always going to create problems. If you are going to drive on a night out, then don’t bother drinking - you can't calculate your alcohol limit, so it’s not worth trying. It can depend on many factors such as the amount and type of alcoholic drink, your weight, sex, age, food intake and metabolism. Even if you've been out drinking the night before you may still be over the limit the following morning.
It's impossible to get rid of alcohol any faster. A shower won’t help and neither will a strong cup of coffee – you might feel ok, but that isn’t going to get you through a breathalyser test. The only think you can do is wait.
Just in case you didn’t know already – if you’re caught drink driving, you’ll:
- Lose your licence for at least 12 months (which might mean losing your job)
- Face a fine of up to £5,000
- Face up to six months in prison
- Pay far more for car insurance when you are let back on the roads
Help make our roads a safer place for sober drivers – if you see someone drink driving and you’re unable to stop them yourself, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111