It is sad to say that drink driving continues to be an issue over the festive period. While more people are aware of this (in a recent survey 51% of drivers said they would not consider drinking any alcohol before driving) it is still an issue so it is worth knowing ways to avoid this over Christmas.
Consequences
If you get convicted of drink driving you may face a fine, a 12 month driving ban and a criminal record. However, there are additional consequences and you could lose your job and having this on your criminal record could potentially affect ability to travel to other countries and your independence in general.
Plan in advance
There are ways to prepare in advance – booking a taxi for the way home, making someone a designated driver or choosing a pub or bar near where you live so that you can walk home safely. Also it helps to either eat before you head out or plan to eat out.
Know the limit
Some people assume that “2 drinks” is the limit. It is not necessarily that simple – your body size, age and height can all be a factor in how alcohol affects you. Furthermore alcohol can take up to four hours to leave your system (even with food) so driving after an all-nighter may not be a good idea either so you may want to delay driving the morning after as well to be on the safe side.
It is also important to make clear that drinking any alcohol will affect your ability to drive – slowing your reflexes and reducing your ability to make split second decisions. It only takes a moment’s loss of concentration for an accident to happen so the best advice is to not drink at all if you are going to drive.
Don’t let friends drink and drive
It is important to look out for friends as well- don’t be afraid to tell them they can’t drive to stop them harming themselves and others.
Extenuating circumstances
If you are facing a driving ban due to drink driving there could be serious consequences including the loss of your license. In some cases if it can be proven there were extenuating circumstances (for example a drink was spiked without your knowledge) it may be possible to argue against this.
In some cases there may be faults with the breathalyser or defendants may be able to argue they believed they were under the limit (for example the day after – however it should be made clear that this argument can be very hard to prove).
Talk to us
When it comes to drink driving the best legal advice is to avoid this as much as possible. A lot of cases result in guilty verdicts so a guilty plea may be the best option. If however you feel you have a case and want to discuss it further you can contact us today as well as for further advice on the current drink driving laws.