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Are you planning a night out and don't know whether to drive or take a cab? Or having an after work drink and unsure if you could still drive? It's important to remember that alcohol can slow you down and affect your body's responses making your driving unsafe, putting you and others at risk of accidents.

While strict alcohol limits and drink driving penalties exist to ensure safe driving on the roads, it's been estimated that between 2010 and 2016 there were 43,050 reported drink drive accidents and 1,620 reported deaths caused by drink driving accidents ¹.

How alcohol affects driving

Many of the functions that we depend on to drive safely are affected when we drink alcohol:

The brain takes longer to receive messages from the eye

Processing information becomes more difficult

Instructions to the body's muscles are delayed resulting in slower reaction times.

You can also experience blurred and double vision, which affects your ability to see things clearly while you are driving. And you're more likely to take potentially dangerous risks because you can act on urges you normally repress ².

The Law and drink drive limits in the UK

What's the drink drive limit in England and Wales?

In England and Wales, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath or 107 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine. In most other European countries, the limit is less, usually 50 milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood.

What's the drink drive limit in Scotland?

The alcohol limit for drivers in Scotland is different than in the rest of the UK. In December 2014 the limit was reduced to 50 milligrammes of alcohol in every 100 millilitres of blood ⁴. The breath alcohol equivalent reduced to 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath ⁵.

The Scottish Government say they have changed their drink drive limit to bring Scotland in line with most other European countries, to save lives and make Scotland's roads safer.

How much can I drink and stay under the limit?

There is no fool-proof way of drinking and staying under the drink drive limit. The amount of alcohol you would need to drink to be considered over the driving limit varies from person to person. It depends on ⁶:

Your weight, age, sex and metabolism (the rate your body uses energy)

The type and amount of alcohol you're drinking

What you've eaten recently

Your stress levels at the time

Even small amounts of alcohol can affect your ability to drive so the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving.
What is a unit of alcohol? Find out here... User our calculator to see how many units you are really drinking
How would I be tested for drink driving?

Even small amounts of alcohol affect your ability to drive and the only safe advice is to avoid any alcohol if you are driving.

If the police want to investigate whether you are over the drink drive limit, they will carry out a screening breath test at the roadside. To do this, they will use a breathalyser.

If you fail this test, or if they have other grounds to believe that your driving was impaired through drink, you'll be taken to a police station and given a final breath test. At the station you will need to provide two more breath specimens into a complex breathalyser.

The lower of the two readings is used to decide whether you are above the drink driving limit.

If the evidential breath sample is up to 40% over the limit you have the right to replace your breath specimen with blood or urine - the police officer will decide which test you will have. If your evidential samples show that you are over the limit, you will be charged.

The police can carry out a breathalyser test if you have committed a moving traffic offence (such as banned turns or going through a red light) been involved in an accident, or have given the police grounds to believe you are over the limit.

The police are allowed to stop any vehicle at their discretion, and will often set up drink driving check points over periods such as Christmas and New Year's Eve.

What's the punishment if I get caught drink driving?

Drunk drivers face a number of penalties depending on the seriousness of their offence. Anyone caught over the legal alcohol limit when driving will be banned from driving for at least 12 months, and fined up to £5,000. You can also be given between three to 11 penalty driving points. And you could be sent to prison for up to six months. Imprisonment, the period of disqualification, size of fine and penalty points depend on the seriousness of the offence ⁸.
If you're caught drink driving more than once in a 10 year period, you'll be banned for at least three years.

How to ensure you don't drink and drive

Arrange within your group of friends who's going to be the designated driver. A designated driver is the person who abstains from alcohol on a night out so they can drive the rest of their group of friends home safely.

If you live somewhere with good public transport links - take advantage of them. If you're planning on staying out beyond the last train, tube or bus, make sure you've got a couple of taxi numbers.

If you have no option but to drive, stick to zero alcohol beers, mocktails or standard soft drinks.

Not every night out has to involve a bar or pub - book a table at a restaurant or try one of our alcohol-free nights ideas.

Find out if you are safe to drive the morning after drinking.

More information on drink driving:

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Drink driving and the legal alcohol limit

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Are you planning a night out and don't know whether to drive or take a cab? Or having an after work drink and unsure if you could still drive? It's important to remember that alcohol can slow you down and affect your body's responses making your driving unsafe, putting you and others at risk of accidents.

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Every 15 Minutes (Don't Drink and Drive) 2013

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Katella Every 15 Minutes 2013 Filmed and Edited by Jeff Numainville and the Katella High School Multimedia Class.

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In the United States in 2007, the death toll from teenage
drunk-driving accidents was 1,393-nearly four fatalities every day of the year.

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the US and are responsible for more than one in three deaths of American teenagers. Of the teen drivers killed on the road in 2006, 31% had been drinking, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The risk of a driver under the influence of alcohol being killed in a vehicle accident is at least eleven times that of drivers without alcohol in their system.
For most people, these are only statistics-shocking, perhaps, but only statistics. But for the families and friends of those who die as a result of teenage drinking and driving, each number represents a tragic loss.

Alcohol distorts a person's perceptions and judgment. People under the influence of alcohol readily admit their reaction time is slower than when not drinking, and they take many chances they would never take when sober. Too often those chances are fatal.

Understanding how alcohol affects the body

Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream via small blood vessels in the walls of the stomach and small intestine. Within minutes of drinking alcohol, it travels from the stomach to the brain, where it quickly produces its effects, slowing the action of nerve cells.

Approximately 20% of alcohol is absorbed through the stomach. Most of the remaining 80% is absorbed through the small intestine.

Alcohol is also carried by the bloodstream to the liver, which eliminates the alcohol from the blood through a process called "metabolizing," where it is converted to a nontoxic substance. The liver can only metabolize a certain amount at a time, leaving the excess circulating throughout the body. Thus the intensity of the effect on the body is directly related to the amount consumed.

When the amount of alcohol in the blood exceeds a certain level, the respiratory (breathing) system slows down markedly, and can cause a coma or death, because oxygen no longer reaches the brain.

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Drunk Driving Statistics - Drinking and Driving Facts - Drug-Free World

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In the United States in 2007, the death toll from teenage drunk-driving accidents was 1,393-nearly four fatalities every day of the year. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers in the US and are responsible for more than one in three deaths of American teenagers.

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Please tell us about your habit of drinking alcohol

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Please tell us about your habit of drinking alcohol

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Drinking and driving

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Drinking and driving

1. How old are you?

Under 18

18-24

Over 24

2. Gender

Male

Female

3. How often do you drink alcohol?

Less than 2 times per week

2-5 times per week

Every day

4. How often do you get drunk?

Always

Usually

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

5. How many units do you think is illegal for driving in Vietnam?

2

2-5

More than 5

6. How many units do you often drink each times?

2

2-5

More than 5

7. How do you leave the party after drinking

Using public transports (taxi, bus, etc) or other people take you back home

Driving personal transports (car, motorbike, etc) yourself

8. Do you think drinking and driving are dangerous?

Yes

No

9. Have you ever had any accidents after getting drunk?

Always

Usually

Often

Sometimes

Rarely

Never

10. Have you known anyone had accidents after drinking?

Yes

No

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Don't Drink And Drive!