THE FACTS ABOUT Drink driving
Each year the Government comes up with a new campaign to highlight the dangers of drink-driving.
We’ve all seen the adverts, but why are new ones produced every year? The facts below prove that drink-driving is still a big problem in this country:
• Around 3,000 people are seriously injured or killed every year in drink-drive accidents. This equates to around 58 per week.
• The Government’s main target group is young men aged 17-29 because this is the group that has the highest numbers of casualties and failed breath tests following a collision. However, drinking and driving does occur within a wide range of age groups.
• Drivers that are over the limit are involved in almost one in six deaths on the road.
• A driver is 50 times more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash if they have twice the legal amount of alcohol in their system.
Those are some of the tragic facts but if a person decides to drink and drive regardless of the facts, what are the consequences?
• Driving or attempting to drive whilst over the legal limit carries a maximum penalty of 6 months imprisonment, a £5,000 fine and a driving ban for at least 12 months.
• An endorsement on your licence for a drink driving offence stays on your licence for 11 years.
• If a driver refuses to carry out a breath test, or give a blood or urine sample, then a maximum penalty of 6 months imprisonment, £5,000 fine and a driving ban of at least 12 months may be given.
• Death by drinking and driving carries a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment, a 2 year driving ban and a requirement to pass an extended driving test before being able to drive again.
• As well as the above, your insurance premiums will be affected if you are involved in a drink related accident; then there are the legal expenses, having a criminal record, possible unemployment as a result of the accident, social stigma and also being unable to hire a vehicle for approximately 10 years.
How much is too much?
• The legal drink-drive limit is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, 35mg of alcohol per 100ml of breath and 107mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine. However, approximately 80 people die every year whilst they are still below the legal alcohol limit
Alcohol affects everybody differently. The effect of alcohol depends on many factors including your sex, weight, metabolism and health. According to Brake (the road safety charity www.brake.org.uk) if you finish drinking your fourth pint of normal strength beer at 11pm, you may not legally be sober enough to drive until 10am the next morning.
It is also a myth that drinking coffee, eating, sleeping, taking a shower will help you sober up.
It is not just drink-driving that kills or maims people: driving whilst under the influence of drugs is also a big problem.
• Post-mortems on dead UK drivers show 1 in 6 had illegal drugs in their body when they crashed.
Don’t be another statistic: Any amount of alcohol or drugs in your body is too much. Therefore avoid both before driving and never get in a car with someone you know has been drinking, or who has taken drugs. The consequences are irreversible.
For more infomation please call us on (0800) 6128724
The Coopers Driving School Team
