Road Safety - Drinking and Driving

Drinking and Driving

Any amount of alcohol will affect your reaction time and impair your judgment when driving and there is no accurate way of judging how much alcohol is in your blood.

On average 3,000 people are killed or seriously injured each year in drink drive collisions and nearly one in seven of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal limit.

How much is it safe to drink and then drive?

Any alcohol, even a small drink, will make you a worse driver. You don't judge speed and distance so well. You don't react so fast.

Slowing your reactions.
Reducing your field of vision.
Making it harder to judge speed and distance.

The legal drink drive limit in the UK is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood, but there is no failsafe guide as to how this equates to the amount you can safely drink. The amount and type of alcoholic drink, and your weight, sex, age and metabolism will all play their part. The only way to be sure you are not impairing your driving ability is to not drink any alcohol if you are going to drive. And remember that you may still be over the limit the morning after, even if you feel okay.

There's no fast way to get alcohol out of your system - a shower, cup of coffee or other ways of 'sobering up' will just not help.

The only safe way is not to drink if you are driving

Use public transport.
Book a taxi.
Stay overnight.
Drink soft drinks until you get home.
Arrange for someone who is not drinking to drive.

If you are convicted of drink-driving you will:

Lose your driving licence for 12 months - which may result in you losing your job.
Face a maximum fine of £5,000.
Face up to six months in prison.
Pay up to three times as much for car insurance.

If you would like a supply of FREE beermats for your local pub or club, email roadsafety@warwickshire.gov.uk

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