Drink and drug driving
Any amount of alcohol will impair your ability to drive. In
fact, the only way to know you’re definitely safe to drive is by
not drinking.
Beer, wine and spirits vary so much in strength that calculating
the number of units you’ve drunk isn’t easy. You could find
yourself over the limit without intending to be.
Drugs are equally as dangerous. Whether illegal or prescribed by
your doctor, drugs can affect your judgement, vision and
concentration.
If you have been prescribed medication and are concerned about
your ability to drive safely, consult your doctor or a
pharmacist.
Legal alcohol limit
Legally, the alcohol limit for drinking and
driving is 80mg of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
That means drinking two pints of normal strength beer or one
large glass of wine could put you over the limit.
Your liver takes an hour to process one unit of alcohol so if
you’ve had a heavy night drinking, you could still be over the
limit the next morning.
Remember, the effects of drugs may last longer than you think
too.
Don’t take the risk
The law
If you take the risk and drink or use drugs
before getting behind the wheel, you could pay for it for the rest
of your life.
If convicted of drink or drug driving:
- You’ll have a criminal record
- You’ll be banned from driving for at least a year
- You’ll be fined up to £5000
- You could face up to six months in prison
- You could lose your job
- Your insurance costs will rocket
More seriously, you could kill or injure someone, face up to 14
years in prison and have to live with it on your conscience for the
rest of your life.
You don’t just take the risk as a driver. Never get into a car
as a passenger when the driver’s been drinking or taking drugs.
Don’t risk your life for a lift, find another way home.
Myths
"A cup of strong coffee will sober me
up" – Caffeine is a stimulant so although it might make
you more alert, it won’t make you sober.
"I'll be fine to drive after a cold shower" – A
cold shower might be refreshing but it won’t remove alcohol from
your system.
"If I just drink beer and avoid the hard stuff like
spirits I'll be okay" – Alcohol is alcohol regardless of
how you drink it.
Fact
To give your body time to fully recover from the
effects of a heavy night of drinking, you should avoid alcohol for
a full 48 hours.
It’s not worth the risk.
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