zero drink drive policy announced, but just for young drivers?

[bhaexpress]

Why not just ban alcohol altogether?

The Americans tried that didn't they ? Did a damn sight more harm than good.

 

[simmo]

It takes the average persons body 1 hour to break down each unit of alcohol so if you have 4 units then allow 4 hours then an extra hour to be on the safe side.

What if you are not average. Like people have said on here everyone has different alcholol thresholds.

So going back to my first question? If you have a mild social evening with your friends and have 3 pints of lager. How do you know when you can drive the next day? You may feel all right and it may have been 12/16 hours since your last drop of alcohol

.........but you are pulled over.

You have a reading of 0.05 (equivalent to probably an 1/50 of a pint), but you are over the limit, licence lost, £hundreds fine, ban for 12 months, you lose your job because you need to drive, insurance premiums through the roof. Fair?

 

[British Bulldog]

What if you are not average. Like people have said on here everyone has different alcholol thresholds.

So going back to my first question? If you have a mild social evening with your friends and have 3 pints of lager. How do you know when you can drive the next day? You may feel all right and it may have been 12/16 hours since your last drop of alcohol

.........but you are pulled over.

You have a reading of 0.05 (equivalent to probably an 1/50 of a pint), but you are over the limit, licence lost, £hundreds fine, ban for 12 months, you lose your job because you need to drive, insurance premiums through the roof. Fair?

Is it fair that some idiot can cause accidents and kill people because they cant take responsibility for they're own drinking and know when they're safe to be behind the wheel of a car? As allready stated the limit will probably never be reduced to zero but it could quite easily be reduced by half without having too much of an affect on peoples lives.

 

[simmo]

Is it fair that some idiot can cause accidents and kill people because they cant take responsibility for they're own drinking and know when they're safe to be behind the wheel of a car? As allready stated the limit will probably never be reduced to zero but it could quite easily be reduced by half without having too much of an affect on peoples lives.

How did I know that was coming! Did I ever say that it was right to drink drive!

Lowering the limit to zero will not effect whether serial drink drivers will stop them doing it.

However, the effect of lowering from 2 (roughly) pints to nil will effect millions of ordinary members of the public and will kill off local pubs, especially in Sussex as it is a very rural county where you almost have to drive everywhere because their is very little public transport.

Also if it is nil, how will you ever know when you are at nil alcholol in your bloodstream.

 

[Garage_Doors]

How did I know that was coming! Did I ever say that it was right to drink drive!

Lowering the limit to zero will not effect whether serial drink drivers will stop them doing it.

However, the effect of lowering from 2 (roughly) pints to nil will effect millions of ordinary members of the public and will kill off local pubs, especially in Sussex as it is a very rural county where you almost have to drive everywhere because their is very little public transport.

Also if it is nil, how will you ever know when you are at nil alcholol in your bloodstream.

I'm reading this and get the impression "ordinary members of the public " are driving to very rural county pubs, drinking, knowing full well they are going to have to drive home, in the assumption, "i'll be alright if i only have a couple".
This is an education to me

 

[Pavilionaire]

There is a cracking pub near me called The Countryman Inn. It has won awards for its excellent food, but it is in the middle of nowhere and you have to drive to get there.

I'd say that a conservative estimate of the proportion of drivers who drink some level of alcohol would be 40%. What could be more enjoyable than have a pint of local bitter in a lovely pub garden? If this legislation goes through I don't think pubs like The Countryman would survive.

 

[simmo]

I'm reading this and get the impression "ordinary members of the public " are driving to very rural county pubs, drinking, knowing full well they are going to have to drive home, in the assumption, "i'll be alright if i only have a couple".
This is an education to me

Well I think hundreds of people may take their family out for a Sunday lunch to rural pubs in and around Sussex and have to drive. The driver may decide to have a pint, or a couple of pints of shandy. On a hots summers day a shandy (in my opinion) is probably the nicest drink. If you can't do that why bother to eat at a pub? If enough people don't bother they will close down.

On another point to the zero limit crew. If you choose to have a Steak and Ale Pie to eat, will you not be over the limit??

 

[Pavilionaire]

Too right Simmo, I can see it now. Jobsworth barman sees Dad ordering mussels in white wine, steak / ale pie and sherry trifle, waits until he's eaten then rings the local constabulary to arrest the lawbreaker, leaving mum and 3 kids to walk the 6 miles home.

Richard Littlejohn is sharpening his pen as we speak.

 

[British Bulldog]

Also if it is nil, how will you ever know when you are at nil alcholol in your bloodstream.

How do you know for sure when your under the limit now? You dont you just regulate your intake accordingly and hope for the best. Like i've allready said I dont think they ever will reduce the level to zero and the more you look into it the more reasons you find for not doing so but I do think there should be a reduction in the currant levels.

 

[simmo]

How do you know for sure when your under the limit now? You dont you just regulate your intake accordingly and hope for the best. Like i've allready said I dont think they ever will reduce the level to zero and the more you look into it the more reasons you find for not doing so but I do think there should be a reduction in the currant levels.

If the limit is 80Mg (say 2 pints) and I have 2 pints tonight at 8pm, I know that by tomorrow morning 8am I will be under the limit.

If the limit is 0Mg, how will I know that if I have 2 pints at 8pm tonight, that by 8am tomorrow morning I will not have 0.05Mg of alcholol in me and therefore lose my licence.

 

[British Bulldog]

If the limit is 80Mg (say 2 pints) and I have 2 pints tonight at 8pm, I know that by tomorrow morning 8am I will be under the limit.

If the limit is 0Mg, how will I know that if I have 2 pints at 8pm tonight, that by 8am tomorrow morning I will not have 0.05Mg of alcholol in me and therefore lose my licence.

The answer is if the level was set at zero and your not sure if you would be over that by having 2 pints 12 hours before you drive then either cut down to one pint or drink coke instead. It's called self regulation.

 

[simmo]

The answer is if the level was set at zero and your not sure if you would be over that by having 2 pints 12 hours before you drive then either cut down to one pint or drink coke instead. It's called self regulation.

Are you kidding me? Are you saying that having 2 pints and then driving 12 hours later is excessive and is in need of self regulation.

They talk about a nanny state. I am glad you are not in charge!!!!!

 

[British Bulldog]

Are you kidding me? Are you saying that having 2 pints and then driving 12 hours later is excessive and is in need of self regulation.

They talk about a nanny state. I am glad you are not in charge!!!!!

What the f*** are you on about? I said if the level was set at zero thats what you would have to do. I'm beginning to wonder whether your old enough to drink 2 pints in the first place.

 

[simmo]

What the f*** are you on about? I said if the level was set at zero thats what you would have to do. I'm beginning to wonder whether your old enough to drink 2 pints in the first place.

If you lose an argument there is no need to swear and get offensive. I can assure you that I have been drinking alcholol probably more years than you are old.

I will ask the question again, if it is zero. No matter when I have an alcholic drink, how will I know that I have zero alcohol left within my system.

 

[British Bulldog]

If you lose an argument there is no need to swear and get offensive. I can assure you that I have been drinking alcholol probably more years than you are old.

I will ask the question again, if it is zero. No matter when I have an alcholic drink, how will I know that I have zero alcohol left within my system.

To lose an argument you have to be in one in the first place and i'm not. I'm just merely pointing out that at whatever level they set you have to regulate your drinking to give yourself the best opportunity to be within the limit. And yes it is possible to have a zero alcohol level as i've allready proved recently when I underwent a drug and alcohol screening process ( as I do quite often )and that was even after taking morphine sulphate medication which does contain 10% volume of ethinal alcohol.

 

[sten_super]

To lose an argument you have to be in one in the first place and i'm not. I'm just merely pointing out that at whatever level they set you have to regulate your drinking to give yourself the best opportunity to be within the limit. And yes it is possible to have a zero alcohol level as i've allready proved recently when I underwent a drug and alcohol screening process ( as I do quite often )and that was even after taking morphine sulphate medication which does contain 10% volume of ethinal alcohol.

I think simmo's point is that a zero limit would be extremely unworkable. Yes we can take steps to limit the alcohol in our systems; but having a zero limit would mean that you would have to wait at least a whole day, more probably 2 (or in some cases) 3 before being able to get back behind the wheel of a car.

I don't think there is particularly a need to lower the limit. I'd be interested if anyone (perhaps one of the members of the police force on the board?) had figures on the number of accidents caused by drink drivers, and (if they exist) how far over the limit what percentage of drink drivers are that have accidents. I'd wager that the majority will be drivers that are severely over the limit, not those have had two pints. I'm not sure that setting a lower limit will have much impact; it is about stopping those that think it's OK to have 5+ pints and then driving home from doing so.

 

[simmo]

To lose an argument you have to be in one in the first place and i'm not. I'm just merely pointing out that at whatever level they set you have to regulate your drinking to give yourself the best opportunity to be within the limit. And yes it is possible to have a zero alcohol level as i've allready proved recently when I underwent a drug and alcohol screening process ( as I do quite often )and that was even after taking morphine sulphate medication which does contain 10% volume of ethinal alcohol.

So what was the point of the swearing and questioning my age then?

For your information I have been driving cars on the road legally for over 20 years, so that may give you some sort of idea that I can drink two pints of lager!

I think a zero level is impractical, each person has different alcohol absorption rates. This will lead to our over zealous bobbies arresting perfectly law abiding citizens for having 0.05Mg in their bodies. Also it will destroy the pub (rural especially) industry.

 

[British Bulldog]

I think simmo's point is that a zero limit would be extremely unworkable. Yes we can take steps to limit the alcohol in our systems; but having a zero limit would mean that you would have to wait at least a whole day, more probably 2 (or in some cases) 3 before being able to get back behind the wheel of a car.

I don't think there is particularly a need to lower the limit. I'd be interested if anyone (perhaps one of the members of the police force on the board?) had figures on the number of accidents caused by drink drivers, and (if they exist) how far over the limit what percentage of drink drivers are that have accidents. I'd wager that the majority will be drivers that are severely over the limit, not those have had two pints. I'm not sure that setting a lower limit will have much impact; it is about stopping those that think it's OK to have 5+ pints and then driving home from doing so.

I've allready agreed that a zero limit although it could be done would probably on reflection be more hassle than it's worth but you'll be surprised at the effect of lowering the limit can have on people and how it can make them think harder about what they're drinking and the amount of time they leave before they drive. On the subject of accidents and the police i'd be interested on the figures involving people still being over the limit the next morning who are involved in accidents.

 

[Garage_Doors]

I think we all agree that a zero level is impractical and unworkable, that is not in question.Its just an ideal.

The problem area is drivers appear to have a mindset that its ok to drink and drive.
In the belief that so long as you don't reach 80 mg, or "2 pints" and by drinking under the limit its ok,
As this does not affect their reactions or ability to drive, and believe this only comes into play once you go over the legal limit, as if there is a magic transition once the limit is reached.

drinking 1 pint, or two pints and then driving is still drinking & driving.

If you want to drink, then drink, and if you want to drive then drive, but not both.

Better solution is keep the limit the same, but drink driving is a life ban, that would make pope act a bit more responsible and they would be more at stake.

One think not been mention which i believe to be a far bigger problem is driving under the influence of drugs.

 

[BensGrandad]

I think we all agree that a zero level is impractical and unworkable, that is not in question.Its just an ideal.

QUOTE]


How is that so?

If you have any acohol in your blood and drive you get nicked and banned end of story. At least with a zero limit everybody knows the state of the game unlike now when you could either pass or fail a breatherlyser on 2 pints.

I think that anybody who is banned, for whatever reason should have to retake their driving test before getting their licence back.