Drink driving accounts for one in six of all UK road deaths.
The government currently spends millions of pounds every year on publicity campaigns and everyone is aware that driving under the influence is illegal. However, some people still continue to drink and drive. Why is this? And what can you do to avoid drink driving and the associated penalties?
If you ask most people if they drink and drive they will say no. If you then ask if they always drive with zero alcohol in their system, again the answer is no. We usually have a mental picture of a drink driver being someone who is driving whilst drunk. Although this occurs, it is much rarer then you may first think. The majority of road deaths are caused by people who think they are within a safe limit. Because they’ve ‘only had a couple’. The reason for this is most people are not aware of the alcohol content of the drinks they consume. Everyone nearly always underestimates.
The truth is, no matter how much you drink, you simply cannot tell. There are numerous factors to take into account including type of drink, measure, physiology. The only completely safe way is to have nothing if you know you are going to have to drive.
The legal limit is not just an arbitrary figure; it has been carefully worked out to be able to give people the best advice possible. The risk of an accident significantly increases with the more alcohol ingested. A small amount will affect you, perhaps you cannot tell, but your reaction times will be slower, it gives you false confidence and your concentration will be greatly reduced.
In order to avoid speeding fines, penalty points or even imprisonment there are several things you can do. When going out, if you are the designated driver, only have soft drinks. If another person is the driver, ensure they have only soft drinks. If you know someone who intends to get behind the wheel under the influence arrange another method for them to get home, maybe someone can take them or you can order them a taxi. If at a party there might be a chance of them staying overnight.
Aside from the consequence of injuring or killing someone else, or yourself, there are other penalties that may be imposed on you if caught drink driving. You may lose your licence, for some people this also means losing their job. In fact, if you are driving, or attempting to drive, over the limit there is an obligatory 12-36 month driving ban and 3-11 points incurred on your licence. You could also be given a £5000 pound and/or a 6 month prison sentence. If disqualified there is the option for a judge to send you on a drink driving rehabilitation course which could reduce the ban period by up to 25 percent.
Sometimes it is all too easy to forget about the possible consequences of drink driving; think about these the next time you are tempted into thinking it will ‘be OK’.