Lower drink driving limit

The proposal to drop it from 80mg/100ml to 50mg/100ml should go through parliament today and it should become law by 5th December. I assume no one actually disagrees with this idea? I reckon it’ll catch a few out “the morning after”.

Also wondering when we might see a similar proposal put forward on the other side of the border?

I assume no one actually disagrees with this idea?

My dad and his missus do – they were moaning about it all weekend.

Apparently “there is no evidence that it makes any difference” and “they are just trying to catch people out”

*sigh*

(Side note: they are avid Daily Mail readers)

I assume no one actually disagrees with this idea?

Never assume anything. I’m a miles better driver after a few Stella’s 😀

In reality it’ll make no difference at all. People who drink drive (and there are a few of the old blokes in our local who do) will just ignore it and carry on regardless. Lets be honest. With all the police now replaced by speed cameras, they’d have to be pretty unlucky to actually get caught. More headline grabbing tokenism, I’m afraid. It’d do more good if the limits we already had were actually enforced. Along with being on your phone while driving etc etc etc…..

My dad and his missus do – they were moaning about it all weekend.

They could always move to England. We still welcome slightly more pissed people on our roads.

Nope quite happy with it.

Would happily see it dropped completely.

They could always move to England.

I don’t think things are quite that bad yet. 😉

Should be 0

It’ll make no difference whatso ever, other than perhaps catch a few people out the next morning as mentioned……

Idiots who drink and drive aren’t going to stop because the limit has changed, they are the ones driving after 10 pints and a tripple shot anyway.

Like speed limits, the drink drive alcohol concentration limit is just an arbitrary number, and has little or no reflection on the specific situation in any case.

I don’t drive, so I take it this still doesn’t affect us pissed cyclists? 😆

Seriously though, I don’t really understand why there is a limit on driving, it should be either or. Have the limit set to the minimum possible.

I guess there will be more drink/drive test zones cropping up.

it IS effectively zero with this legislation. Speaking with a GP mate, the reason they have kept it minimal is to accomodate for small amounts of alcohol which may be in the system, from food, medicines etc.

The mesage that a single glass of wine or beer may well put a driver over the limit is IMO just the right message to send, and to enforce.

I guess there will be more drink/drive test zones cropping up.

I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else? With the recent further cuts in police numbers, I’m not expecting to any time soon either. Its complete nonsense this. You can make the limit nothing, or you could make it ten pints, and 5 whisky chasers. If its not being enforced, exactly what is the point?

That was my understanding too.

Isn’t it now routine to be tested after an accident? That must catch out more drivers than any random testing.

Is everyone else getting the ad for “drinkdrivingsolicitor.co.uk” on this thread?!

Should be 0

It can’t practically be zero.

“You had a beer three days ago” or “You use mouthwash” are not very good reasons to fine someone! 😆

Where do we stand on people driving when tired/upset/emotional etc? Just wondering?? Because there have been times when i have been so preoccupied that i have arrived at a destination with no clue how i got there – but this is perfectly legal

binners – Member
I guess there will be more drink/drive test zones cropping up.
I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else? With the recent further cuts in police numbers, I’m not expecting to any time soon either. Its complete nonsense this. You can make the limit nothing, or you could make it ten pints, and 5 whisky chasers. If its not being enforced, exactly what is the point?

Gets enforced quite vigorously up here round about christmas time. See polis stopping people all the time.

I guess there will be more drink/drive test zones cropping up.

I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else?

Yes – the police near my dad set one up between the pub and the main road on the night of a local estate’s Christmas party. The locals seemed to think this was rather unsporting…

I have mates who say they can have one or two and still be under the limit. These are the people this is targeting.

I reckon saying you can have *no* alcohol and drive is the best but with a fuzziness to allow for mouthwash or a small amount of cough medicine etc.

I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else?

Yeah I have but it was a few years ago around the festive period, so probably the annual crack down anyway.
It was just flagging down all cars along a stretch of road and checking the drivers. Probably lasted for about 2 hours then moved to another location.

out of interest how may of the above posters:
– use a hands free phone
– use a phone
– coffee/eat etc
whilst driving

#whataboutery

I figure I’ll have one pint early evening and then drive later and be OK, not sure if that would put me over the limit if it changed to 50mg/100ml.

Where do we stand on people driving when tired/upset/emotional etc? Just wondering?? Because there have been times when i have been so preoccupied that i have arrived at a destination with no clue how i got there – but this is perfectly legal

It’s not perfectly legal.

If you can find a practical way to measure tiredness, upset or emotion by the roadside and fix a metric that drivers must not exceed (like speed and blood alcohol) because beyond that there’s serious risk, then I reckon we should start rewriting the law.

Turn it back to you: would you continue to do so with a 50mg/100ml limit?

I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else? With the recent further cuts in police numbers, I’m not expecting to any time soon either. Its complete nonsense this. You can make the limit nothing, or you could make it ten pints, and 5 whisky chasers. If its not being enforced, exactly what is the point?

I’ve seen them arround the thames valley, usualy a layby or car park full of police doing brethalysers, licence checks, safety checks, etc and one at the roadside pulling over cars at random, usualy on a DC sliproad.

Good if it’s enforced (all year round) they have random breath testing here in Oz, police set up a road block and stop everyone. Seems to work well until it gets posted on social media.

But then again how much truly awful driving do people get away with, maybe some of them would be better if they were pissed.

scotroutes – Member
mudshark » I figure I’ll have one pint early evening and then drive later and be OK, not sure if that would put me over the limit if it changed to 50mg/100ml.
Turn it back to you: would you continue to do so with a 50mg/100ml limit?

1 pint of 4% lager should still see you under the limit, no?

question: of the thousands of people killed or maimed on our roads every year, how many were caused by people ‘just’ over the new limit?

in other words, will it make any difference?

1 pint of 4% lager should still see you under the limit, no?

i wouldn’t risk it…

How many does it have to be before this is worthwhile?

I guess there will be more drink/drive test zones cropping up.

I have never ever seen one of these. Has anyone else? With the recent further cuts in police numbers, I’m not expecting to any time soon either. Its complete nonsense this. You can make the limit nothing, or you could make it ten pints, and 5 whisky chasers. If its not being enforced, exactly what is the point?

Yep, quite often actually in Bath, however now I live in Somerset proper, I believe it’s compulsory to drive while pissed, and I have seen 1 police car in 11 months in our village!

Turn it back to you: would you continue to do so with a 50mg/100ml limit?

I’d what I do about everything in life – ask on here and do what was recommended….

scotroutes – Member

How many does it have to be before this is worthwhile?

that’s a good question, to which the answer is of course: i don’t know.

was just curious really.

i wonder if we’d be so happy to make black-boxes compulsory…

1 pint of 4% lager should still see you under the limit, no?

Average male has 5l of blood

50mg/100ml is 2.5g in 5l, 1 unit is 10g.

So actualy you can ‘safely’ have 1/8th of a pint, anything else is countig on things like holdup in your stonach, your liver processing it, absorbtion into muscles/fat.

How many does it have to be before this is worthwhile?

It’s 2 parts really, changing the law but not changing enforcement is not the most effective thing. Perhaps a study into the reduction of police enforcement of road rules should accompany things like this/ Before anyone goes for it I’m not condoning drink driving, but I am questioning if it will make a difference.

So actualy you can ‘safely’ have 1/8th of a pint

Shirley, that would be by injecting it into a vein? Most of us neck the stuff, and only part of it makes it into the blood, and not instantly.

question: of the thousands of people killed or maimed on our roads every year, how many were caused by people ‘just’ over the new limit?

Kinda difficult to say since they were previously under the drink drive limit so not counted as drink drive incidents.

Overall the drink-drive casualties are still quite high, but WAAAAAY better than they used to be despite the massive increase in the number of cars:

1979: Killed 1640 Serious 8300 Slight 21490
2013: Killed  230 Serious 1200 Slight 8510

(Source: RAS51001 “Estimated number of reported drink drive accidents and casualties in Great Britain” in RRCGB 2013)

What if they went the opposite way for the whole of the festive period, and allowed a Mad Max style free-for-all? As a sort of christmas gift to the nation. We could all buy scrappers, fit big spikes to the wheels, dress like australians, get bladdered then let rip at each other. That’d be a right laugh

*goes to start online petition*

1 pint of 4% lager should still see you under the limit, no?
Average male has 5l of blood

50mg/100ml is 2.5g in 5l, 1 unit is 10g.

So actualy you can ‘safely’ have 1/8th of a pint, anything else is countig on things like holdup in your stonach, your liver processing it, absorbtion into muscles/fat.

The latter factors you mention will have a large effect though, I’d guess a pint will be fine.

sounds like you are being a wee bit draconian in your measuring? 😆

What if they went the opposite way for the whole of the festive period, and allowed a Mad Max style free-for-all? As a sort of christmas gift to the nation. We could all buy scrappers, fit big spikes to the wheels, dress like australians, get bladdered then let rip at each other. That’d be a right laugh

The winner has to shag Tina Turner, right? Live on TV or something?