"The reality is if you are stopped and are over the limit you will be arrested, taken to a police station, and face giving blood or urine samples. As well as being locked in a police cell you will be photographed, fingerprinted, and have DNA samples taken which will remain on the police database.”
The minimum sentence for drink driving is a 12–month driving ban, a criminal record and a large fine of up to £5,000. The maximum sentence is six months imprisonment. Around 6% of road casualties and 17% of all deaths on the road occur when someone has been drinking over the legal limit.
It’s expected that more than half a million drivers are stopped and breathalysed each year with more breath tests carried out in December than any other month, according to the Department for Transport.
The current British legal limit for drivers is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. There is no foolproof way of drinking and staying under the limit or of knowing how much an individual person can drink and still drive safely. Tolerance depends on varying factors such as age, weight, gender and metabolism.
Jeremy said: “Being convicted of drink driving can change your whole life.” He added that if you drive the morning after a heavy night you could still be over the limit. Department for Transport statistics show that most failed breath tests happen between the hours of 7am and 9am.
“It takes your body one hour to eliminate one unit of alcohol, a bottle of wine can stay in the system for up to 13 hours. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Jeremy said.