Lowering the drink driving limit

[halfmist]

The whole point of it is that you aren't driving intoxicated. Many people's tolerances are different. Two pints for you might be nothing, for others it might make them impaired. Hence the need for lowering.

So we chose the lowest common denominator. If we have to live our lives based on that, we become a police state

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Same here. Clean license since I obtained it about 20 years ago now. Never driven over the limit.

Truth be told I can be a bit of a lightweight when it comes to drinking so a drink outside of meal times in a hot pub can hit surprisingly hard. Unless I'm having a meal and sitting down for a few hours then I'll generally stick to just a half these days.

But I also understand that not everyone is like me and many other people can handle their pints to a far better degree. They don't deserve to be punished for it.

That last two sentences have to be a wind up.
No one could be that fucking stupid.

 

[hampshireblue]

They are over the limit under the current rules so not quite sure what your point is.

It was the comment about others being able to "hold their drink". The bloke who hit my friend was big, claimed he only had a pint and a half but comfortably tested positive.

 

[youngbob]

We seem to be seeing a generational shift away from drinking full stop. I can see it going the way of smoking in years to come where it’s frowned upon. I get the sense that late teens/early 20 somethings are just not interested in alcohol. I maybe entirely wrong but that’s my perception.

I'm 31. It's only 10-15 years ago that my friends started going clubbing. Clubbing was fucking massive only a decade ago. The pandemic and the fact that kids have no spare cash to spend on booze means sales are dropping among young folk.

Plus, I think a lot of kids have grown up looking at what drinking has done to their parents and older relatives too.

 

[halfmist]

I live in the countryside. If I'm driving and go to a pub, I stick to Guinness 0.0 or a soft drink. Nobody actually needs alcohol.

That is your choice. I am not asking anyone to change, things work perfectly well as they are.

 

[hampshireblue]

Completely unrelated situation. An estimated 6000 people every year are killed or injured by drunk driving. One drink is too many. If you need to drive to get to your nearest pub, choose a better way of getting there.

Not in the UK. There are around 1600 fatalities a year and not all of those are down to drink or drugs.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

6,000 bollocks. A quick Google search show an estimate of 260 in 2024.

Thick are you?
It’s 260 killed, not killed or injured as posted.

 

[halfmist]

It was the comment about others being able to "hold their drink". The bloke who hit my friend was big, claimed he only had a pint and a half but comfortably tested positive.

I would imagine everyone who is stopped admits to less than what they have actually drunk. Nobody is going to say sorry officer I am pissed.

 

[inchy14]

"The following countries have zero tolerance for driving while under the influence of alcohol for the general population: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Gambia, Hungary, Indonesia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Senegal, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen."

Notice the link between most of those countries?

16 out of the 22 countries listed are either Islamic countries or under a dictatorship. Hmm how surprising.

Why do you want to allow people drinking and driving?

 

[Lavinda Past]

Can you honestly take a holier than thou stance and say you have complied with every law every drafted by every politician. He who has never sinned may cast the first stone and all that.

Of course I can't, but I believe that drink driving is the most selfish, wreckless thing a person can do. It's a complete disregard of other people's lives, and anyone caught over the limit should be banned from driving for life. Anyone causing death by drink driving should serve a minimum 15 year sentence.

 

[inchy14]

A question to all those who are applauding this move, would you agree to a drink/drug testing in the workplace ?

We already have if we have reason to suspect. All sign up for it at start of their contract.

 

[crooky]

I think they are erring on the side of caution there. It's a very simplified view. They aren't asking how long you were drinking for, just when you stopped. If you neck 4 pints in an hour then stop you'll have more in your system 9 hours later than if you had 4 pints over 4 hours.

Interesting. The site accounted for sex and body weight but not speed at which you drink.

Pretty surprising that it takes longer for it to get out of your system. I get that it gets you drinker quicker but didn't realise it also affected your recovery time in a noticeable way as well.

 

[halfmist]

Why do you want to allow people drinking and driving?

You need to distinguish between driving over/ under the legal limit. Otherwise you could expand your question to speeders, mobile phone users, defective cars, undertaking a test every year. Should they all result in an instant ban.

 

[Elbow beards]

Interesting. The site accounted for sex and body weight but not speed at which you drink.

Pretty surprising that it takes longer for it to get out of your system. I get that it gets you drinker quicker but didn't realise it also affected your recovery time in a noticeable way as well.

It doesn't take longer to get out of your system, it's still roughly 1 hour per unit. It's just that because your drinking over a longer period, your body has already started getting rid of it, so if you drunk 1 pint per hour for 4 hours by the time you'd stopped drinking your body would have already removed the first pint.

 

[Lavinda Past]

I'm not advocating drinking and driving over the current limits.

I'm advocating a compromise between the shall do no wrong crowd and the people who are happy with the current limits and don't want to see them reduced.

The people who are 'happy with the current limits' are the ones who are most likely to exceed them. I doubt that anyone could have an alcoholic drink and accurately say what their level is without a breathalyser.

Alcohol ruins lives... Usually other people's.

The worst offenders are people who drink heavily at night and think that they're 'under the limit' the next morning. Selfish and stupid.

The limits should be as low as possible.

 

[doots]

Need to target the stoners too.
So many cunts driving round smoking weed thinking that they have full control,bollocks,it's just as bad as drink driving.

 

[carlosthejackal]

There is going to be a discussion to reduce the drink drive limit from 0.08 to 0.05 to bring it in line with Scotland. Personally I like popping down to the Local now and again to have 2 pints before tea so not in favour. It may end up the final nail in the coffin particularly for country pubs

Really ?

 

[Lavinda Past]

That is your choice. I am not asking anyone to change, things work perfectly well as they are.

No they don't. If the limits worked 'perfectly well', no-one would ever be charged for exceeding them.

People will always push limits and take chances. Reducing the levels may make a few more of them think about what they're actually doing.

 

[hilts]

Should be zero leave no room for ambiguity or confusion

Zero would leave to confusion

 

[Sheikh rattle and roll]

The 2 pints is wrong - maybe 40 years ago but take lager for example it now 5 or 5.5 percent it used to be about 3
Don’t drink more than one is my best guess otherwise it’s a risk and a big one