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Drink driving and the legal alcohol limit

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Drink driving penalties


 

8,620 road accidents in 2008 happened when a driver was over the legal limit for alcohol. 2,020 people were killed or seriously injured as a result. (1)

While these figures are high, accidents involving drink driving have decreased hugely over the last 30 years. Deaths and serious injuries related to drink driving have fallen over three-quarters since 1980. (2)

 

What's the law on drink driving?

In the UK, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, 35mg per 100ml of breath or 107mg per 100ml of urine. In most other European countries, the limit is less, usually 50mg per 100ml of blood. (3)

 

How much can I drink and stay under the limit?

There is no foolproof way of drinking and staying under the limit. The amount of alcohol you would need to drink to be considered drink driving varies from person to person. It depends on: (4)

  • Your weight
  • Your gender (men tend to process alcohol faster than women)
  • Your metabolism
  • Your current stress levels
  • Whether you've eaten recently
  • Age (younger people tend to process alcohol more slowly

Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive so the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving.

 

How alcohol affects driving

Many of the functions that we depend on to drive safely are affected when we drink alcohol: the brain takes longer to recieve messages from the eye; processing information becomes more difficult; and instructions to the body's muscles are delayed resulting in slower reaction times.


Blurred and double vision can also occur, which means the ability to see things correctly whilst driving is reduced. People are also more likely to take potentially dangerous riskes behind the wheel if they've been drinking alcohol.

 

How would I be tested for drink driving?

Even small amounts of alcohol affect your ability to drive and the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving

If the police want to investigate whether you are over the drink driving limit, they will carry out a screening breath test at the roadside using a breath screening instrument, sometimes referred to as a breathalyser.

If you fail this test, or if they have other grounds for believing you were driving impaired through drink, you will be arrested and taken to a police station.

At the station you will be required to provide two breath specimens into an evidential breath testing instrument. The lower of the two readings will be used to decide whether you are above the drink driving limit.

If the evidential breath sample is up to 40% over the limit you have the right to replace your evidential breath specimen with blood or urine. The police officer will decide which it will be. If your evidential samples show that you are over the limit, you will be charged.

The police can carry out a breathalyser test if you have committed a moving traffic offence, or been involved in an accident, or have given the police grounds to believe you are over the limit.

The police are allowed to stop any vehicle at their discretion, and will often set up drink driving check points over periods such as Christmas and New Years Eve.

 

What’s the punishment if I get caught drink driving?

Anyone caught drink driving will be banned from the road for at least 12 months, and fined up to £5,000. You can also be sent to prison for up to six months. Imprisonment, the period of disqualification and size of fine depend on the seriousness of the offence. (5)

If you’re caught drink driving more than once in a 10 year period, you’ll be banned for at least three years.

 

How to ensure you don't drink and drive

Arrange within your group of friends who's going to be the designated driver. A designated driver is the person who abstains from alcohol on a night out so they can drive the rest of their group of friends home safely.

If you live somewhere with good public transport links – take advantage of them. If you’re planning on staying out beyond the last train or bus, make sure you’ve got a couple of taxi numbers.

If you have no option but to drive, stick to zero alcohol beers, mocktails or standard soft drinks.

Not every night out has to involve a bar or pub - book a table at a restaurant or try one of our alcohol-free nights on the town ideas. 

 

More information on drink driving

Use our unit calculator
References

(1) Department for Transport, ‘Road Casualties Great Britain: 2008 – Annual Report’

(2) Same as above

(3) Road Traffic Act 1988  S1, (11) (2 a-c)

(4) Think! Road Safety

(5) Directgov - Highway Code

Page last updated by
Unknown, 10 May 2012.
 

Understanding unit guidelines

You should not regularly exceed…

The government advises that women should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 2–3 units, or…

  • 3 × 25ml shots of whiskey
  • 1.3 × 175ml glasses of white wine
  • 1.3 pints of 4% lager

More about unit guidelines

The government advises that men should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3–4 units, or…

  • 4 × 25ml shots of whiskey
  • 1.7 × 175ml glasses of white wine
  • 1.7 pints of 4% lager

More about unit guidelines

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