Drink and drive limits. [POLL]

[Chippy_Tea]

The D.O.T has released figures stating in 2017 - 290 people were killed in crashes in England and Wales where at least one of the drivers was over the limit (a rise of 26% in 12 months) this has sparked the old debate on whether England and Wales where you are allowed a maximum of 80 milligrams of alcohol per millilitre of blood should reduced the maximum to 50 milligrams of alcohol per millilitre as Scotland did in 2014 .

A recent study has shown that the amount of RTC's in Scotland has not reduced since lowering the figure and are similar to those in England it has been suggested the reason is a lack of policing (random breath checks etc) due to the police not having the spare manpower so although the evidence leans towards the lower limit lowering RTC's without enforcement there isn't really much point.

My view is if they reduce it to 50 in England and Wales more out of town pubs especially those that rely on food for the main income will go to the wall and with the state of the pub trade i think its something they don't need at the moment.

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[jceg316]

I'm not surprised the number of RTCs didn't decrease in Scotland, it's not so much about the limit it's about enforcement of the current limit.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

To put this into perspective a ball park figure is -

50 milligrams = 1 pint of normal strength beer.

80 milligrams = 2 pints of normal strength beer.

I cannot believe the extra pint we are allowed in England/Wales is going to make the slightest difference but no doubt the experts would disagree.

I am assuming its not 100 milligrams for two pints because part of the first will have already left your system by the time you get in your car (i may have got that totally wrong)

 

[Banbeer]

I like a drink but when I'm driving I have nowt

 

[Clint]

Whatever they say is the limit you'll be illegal...whether you can drive home or not...just don't do it..

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I think the problem here is not so much going out in your car to have a drink (even if you limit that to two pints) as i doubt many do that these days but the morning after effect, no one knows exactly how fast we rid ourselves of alcohol i have read many times from different sites that its one unit per hour but we are all different so its not one rule for all and who counts exactly how much you drink on a night out, do you try to work out when you can drive and be under 50 milligrams or totally alcohol free or just leave the car on the street all the next day just in case you are still over?

 

[Cwrw666]

I may be being thick but if you lower the drink drive limit then you'll increase the number of fatalities with a driver over the limit as more will be judged to be so. Assuming alcohol consumption actually stays the same. I don't think either limit will affect the old boys down my local who daily have five pints and drive home.
80mg is fine.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I may be being thick but if you lower the drink drive limit then you'll increase the number of fatalities with a driver over the limit as more will be judged to be so.
80mg is fine.

They seem to have believed lowering it by 30 milligrams was going to mean less RTC's which has been proven to be totally wrong, i wonder how many village pubs in Scotland have suffered since the reduction.

 

[Banbeer]

The morning after issue is down to whether you dive out of bed have a quick shower and get on the road, personally I get up early and have breakfast a couple of strong coffee's and I have been spot checked a couple of times around Christmas in the past (I used to drive for a living) and been at zero on the breathalyser, not saying I would have passed a blood or urine sample but at the moment they don't check that at the roadside.

 

[Leon103]

If you have a load of drink and have to drive in the morning get a breathalyser.

I have seen them as little as £1 in the pound shops and they are made by the same companies who make and sell device to police. I have bought and used a couple in the past

 

[Clint]

Breakfast and coffee won't change your booze load...

 

[Banbeer]

read what I wrote, a breathalyser was passed, so makes it legal

 

[Clint]

Not disputing you passed...eating and drinking coffee doesn't physically reduce your body alcohol content.

 

[Banbeer]

And once again is that not what I said?

 

[Oneflewover]

Not disputing you passed...eating and drinking coffee doesn't physically reduce your body alcohol content.

And that's why I voted it should be zero. Just because it's legal it doesn't mean it's right.....

 

[Clint]

Breathaliser...got it. Not my fault I had a raspberry bush nearly poke my eye out earlier!!

 

[marshbrewer]

I think that it's about right; as demonstrated by the fact that accident rates haven't dropped in Scotland. I can't see how enforcement has anything to do with it - convictions maybe, but not accidents.

Lowering it is just another attack by the neo-puritan temperance tossers hoping to drive more country pubs to the wall.

 

[Banbeer]

And that's why I voted it should be zero. Just because it's legal it doesn't mean it's right.....

You are correct, I'm not talking about going out and having 20 pints and shots afterwards, I finish drinking around 22.30 ish and used to be on the road at 07.30 giving me 9 hours.

 

[simon12]

I voted its fine at current levels, if I saw any evidence (which I have not looked for) that a lower level would save lives I would vote to lower it but to lower it to 0 to me is crazy, how long would you have to wait to drive if you accidentally eat a chocolate liquor do you know?

 

[Derekmr]

The morning after issue is down to whether you dive out of bed have a quick shower and get on the road, personally I get up early and have breakfast a couple of strong coffee's and I have been spot checked a couple of times around Christmas in the past (I used to drive for a living) and been at zero on the breathalyser, not saying I would have passed a blood or urine sample but at the moment they don't check that at the roadside.

And that is why it should be a blood test at roadside, to prevent people deliberately delaying breath test or "hiding" it in some way, as always the police are too soft in this country.
Don't drink and drive, anyone that does should get an instant ban as far as I'm concerned.