A new survey, released today, suggests that one in three UK motorists have gotten behind the wheel after drinking, despite being unsure as to whether they're in a fit enough state to drive.
The survey, conducted on 1,000 road users across the UK – with a 50/50 gender split, was carried out by drinkdrivesolicitor.com – a website which provides legal advice and representation for motorists. They deal with cases where people have been charged with drink driving and also conduct independent research into new government guidelines on drink-driving.
Alarmingly, they found that just 1 in 10 participants admitted to consciously considering their alcohol to blood ratio before getting into their car.
Drink Drive Solicitor also polled their sample group to find out how drink driving affects personal relationships. They discovered that a staggering 48% of Brits would rethink their relationship with a loved one if that person were charged with drink driving. This figure went up to 61% of participants among a 25-34 age group.
All of this prompts the question: why is it that, despite both the legal implications and social taboos attached to drink-driving, so many Brits are taking the risk?
Matthew Miller, managing director at drinkdrivesolicitor.com believes the blurred-lines are both legal and social, with complex legislation leading to confusion: “It’s surprising to see how many people have risked getting a drink driving charge, despite the vast majority feeling so serious about it. It isn’t that shocking however to see the uncertainty so many have felt about whether they are legally sober enough to drive."
Miller says the problem is that the law relates to alcohol blood levels rather than the number of drinks consumed, and that a lot of drivers find the legal measurements "confusing and unclear". He comments: "Determining the alcohol level present in blood isn’t simple and it varies between individuals depending on factors such as weight, age, sex, metabolism, as well as the type of alcohol consumed. This has resulted in cases of people being charged despite having only consumed one drink."
Drink Drive Solicitor advise that, while the law doesn’t relate to the number of drinks consumed, it’s probably best to avoid alcohol altogether before driving.
For more information on drink driving, visit the website Think!