The drink drive limit
The current legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100
millilitres of breath, or 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100
millilitres of blood, or 107 milligrams of alcohol in 100
millilitres of urine.
If you are twice the legal limit statistics show you
are at least 50 times more likely to be involved in a fatal
collision than a driver who hasn’t been drinking and at least
30 times more likely to cause a crash.
Penalties
If you are convicted of drink driving you will:
- Lose your licence for at least a year.
- Have a criminal record.
- Face up to six months in prison.
- Face a fine of up to £5,000.
- Risk losing your job.
- See your car insurance costs soar once you get your licence
back.
Those are just the things that will affect you directly.
Unfortunately, many drink-drivers kill innocent people as a result
of their actions. If you are convicted of causing death by careless
driving while under the influence of drink you may be given:
- Up to 14 years in prison.
- An unlimited fine.
- A minimum two-year driving ban.
- A mandatory extended driving test.
Advice
It is impossible to calculate your alcohol limit. It depends on
a variety of factors, including what you are drinking,
your weight, sex, age, and metabolism.
Drinking any amount of alcohol impairs your driving. The only
way to remove the risk is to not drink any alcohol at all.
Before drinking:
- If you are out, think about how you will get home.
- Do not drive to the venue – you may be tempted to drive home
after drinking.
- Drink soft drinks until you get home.
- Nominate someone to drive.
- Book a taxi or find out what public transport is
available.
- Never offer an alcoholic drink to someone who you know is
driving.