What are the Consequences of Drink-driving?
It may seem like shocking statistic but from data accumulated from 1979 and 2014, 940 are killed as a result of drink driving on UK roads per year. Furthermore, 3681 people are seriously injured in drink-driving incidents per year. It’s obvious that still is a massive problem for our population and is simply harming too many people per year. This blog post will attempt to make the facts simple and easy to understand so that more people in this country don’t become just another statistic like the one above.
The drink drive limit in the UK
There are strict alcohol limits for drivers. However, the problem stems from the fact that the limits are impossible to correlate to a number of drinks. It varies for each person. Furthermore, the limits are lower in Scotland.
| Level of alcohol | England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Scotland |
| Micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath | 35 | 22 |
| Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood | 80 | 50 |
| Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine | 107 | 67 |
How much alcohol affects you depends on a variety of factors. These include:
- Your weight, age, sex, and metabolism (the rate at which your body uses energy)
- The type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking
- What you’ve eaten recently
- Your stress levels at the time
Drink Driving Penalties
You could be imprisoned, banned from driving and face a fine if you’re found guilty of drink driving. However, the actual punishment you receive depends on the magistrates who hear your case and the severity of your offence. The court does also offer a drink-drive rehabilitation course (DDRS) which can often reduce your sentence if you’re banned for 12 months or more. This will be explained later in this blog.
Potential charges for Drink Driving
Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit:
- 3 months imprisonment
- Up to a £2500 fine
- A possible driving ban
An offence like this would involve supervising a learner driver whilst under the influence, or attempting to teach as an ADI while over the limit.
Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit:
- 6 months imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A driving ban for at least one year or three years if you’ve been convicted before in the last 10 years.
Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood, or urine for analysis:
- 6 months imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A ban from driving for a least a year
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of alcohol:
- 14 years imprisonment
- An unlimited fine
- A ban from driving for at least two years
- An extended driving test before your license is returned
As seen above, the potential punishments are huge. Fines can amount to thousands can could seriously impact your livelihood. Not only that, but it can have a serious impact on your family life if imprisonment is involved, even if the sentence is short. Having imprisonment on your record would also damage the prospects of job offers, especially if they involve security clearance or a criminal background check.
Other potential problems for Drink Driving
Your car insurance could drastically increase by a significant amount if you’re convicted. Furthermore, if you drive for work, your employer will see the conviction on your record. It is then up to the discretion of the employer to decide how to proceed. However, it’s easier to see how many would lose their jobs due to a conviction. You may also have issues travelling to certain countries such as the USA.
Drink Drive Rehabilitation Courses
You can be offered this course if you’ve been banned for at least 12 months due to a drink driving offence. You will, however, have to pay for the course yourself, with the cost being up to £250. Taking the course usually results in the ban being lowered by a quarter.
The course is designed to stop you from drink driving again. They’re face to face sessions and will take place over 16 hours. Often run on three separate days over the course of three weeks. They will also have other drink drivers attending with you, so it is not one to one. The course syllabus can be seen here.
It’s important to note that your driving ban will not be reduced if you do not complete the entire course. If you’re a high-risk offender, you’ll need to reapply for your license and take a medical examination.
Drink Driving – Conclusion
In conclusion, the risks associated with this crime are simply too high. It has the potential to make you lose thousands of pounds, family life and your job. The impacts are not one-off, they will stay with you for life and could impact you years into the future. Therefore, it’s simply best to leave the car keys alone and use public transport which is readily available in cities, or other taxi services such as Uber or Lyft which are simple and easy to use.