Drink Driving in the UK

A drink driving conviction in the UK occurs every day, and although casualties of drink drivers have decreased over the last 10 years, they still account for over 18% of road deaths, so this is an ongoing problem that does not appear to be going away. In 2023, there were over 58,000 drunk and drug driving convictions, with over 300 deaths recorded and many more casualties.

The main offenders of drink driving tend to be young men under 34 but between the ages of 20 and 24 is exceptionally high, and it is 4 to 1 ratio of men to women statistically who are convicted. It is concerning that a recent survey by Cambridge University revealed that many drivers do not know the drink-drive limit or what a unit of alcohol relates to but will still get into a vehicle and drive after drinking. To stay safe, it is best not to drink alcohol at all, but it is vital that everyone is aware of alcohol limits and what constitutes a unit of alcohol if you intend to drive.

The legal limit for driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath with a breathalyser test. For Scotland, the limit is 50 milligrams of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 ml of breath and 67 milligrams in 100 ml of urine. Some argue that the laws should be consistent across the entire UK, but regardless, it is down to the individual driver to be aware of and to comply; not knowing the limits is not an excuse!

There are no hard rules for individuals regarding limits of drink driving as alcohol can affect everyone differently, but on average, men can drink up to 4 units of alcohol, which relates to approximately 2 pints of regular beer or lager, and women is 3 units relates to a large glass of wine or just over a pint of beer or lager. Many factors affect how alcohol can metabolise in our bodies, such as age, sex, weight, certain medications and if you are tired, hungry or dehydrated, so you can never be sure, which is why it is always best to abstain from drinking if you intend to drive.  It is said to take at least two hours for one unit of alcohol to be safe to drive, so bear this in mind whenever you decide to have a quick drink.

Penalties for drink driving can range from a 1-year ban to a 3-year ban for subsequent drink drive court appearances, there can be unlimited fines and prison sentences where life has been endangered or lost. It’s not only the initial driving ban that can impact your life but a drink driving conviction will make getting insurance very hard in the future. You may find that you will have to find a specialist insurer, which will cost far more than mainstream insurers. The conviction will remain on your driving licence for 11 years, and you will pay high premiums because of this.  You may find that you cannot drive company cars or apply for any driving jobs, and you may not be able to visit certain countries such as the USA as drink driving is a criminal conviction. It is essential to know that the cost of a drink driving conviction is more than just monetary; it can really make life hard for many years when it comes to employment and travel.