Drink Driving

[Gemmel]

I was under the impression that the minimum sentance for drink driving was a year.... Has this changed.....

 

Adam Blackmore ‏@bigadamsport #saintsfc forward Guly gets a 12-month ban reduced to three if he takes a driving course - and a £2,600 fine, for drink-driving

[Sergei Gotsmanov]

It should be reduced by 3 months I think

[Golden Balls]

Yeah 2 of my mates got 12 months reduced BY 3 to 9 months if they did the course. That said, their fine was less

[JonnyLove]

My step brother god done for drink driving and he drove off afterwards (police picked him up later), you'd think a prison sentence may of been given in this case but no. Got 6 month ban and a couple of hundred quid fine. LUCKY BASTARD I tell you that boy.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Talking of drink driving, I play 5 a side with a copper. He said that they are now targetting people who drive in the morning after a night out. When he's on the early shift he has to drive round noting cars left in pub car parks. If someone comes and picks the car up before about 10pm, they make an excuse to pull them over and give them a breath test.He works for Dorset police, but I'm sure Hants will be the same.

[Bearsy]

I've got one of them alcohol measuring thingummy bobs in the car and I've noticed I'm quite often over when I've gone to pick the car up next morning and have to go get a breakfast or whatever, even though honestly I feel fine to drive. I reckon the morning after your blood alcohol may still be high but you ain't necessarily impaired. I reckon your brain gets used to it or whatever. I mean I ain't a doctor, so you're probably best to wait it out though!

[stu0x]

There's no 'minimum sentence'. The recommended tariff is a 12 months ban, but it can change with the circumstances. Unfortunately a lot of areas have now adopted this 'discount' for these driver awareness courses - bit of a joke really, and largely just a revenue generating exercise. But I don't think the discount can be more than 25%, so it will be reduced by, not to - Blackmore's got it wrong.

 

Secondly, Bearsy makes a good point (astonishingly! ). It's drink drive, not drunk drive. Impairment is not really the issue, it is simply a case of whether your alcohol level is over a certain amount. It might be a cliche, but I have seen with my own eyes someone who was absolutely hammered blow under. And I have seen a lot of completely sober people blow over, the morning after being a typical one.

 

There is a separate offence for unfit due to being drunk (or on drugs), but it needs evidence of seriously bad driving to prove, whereas the standard drink drive just needs that magic number. And there is *no* safe amount of alcohol to ensure you don't hit it.

[Frank's cousin]

I've got one of them alcohol measuring thingummy bobs in the car and I've noticed I'm quite often over when I've gone to pick the car up next morning and have to go get a breakfast or whatever, even though honestly I feel fine to drive. I reckon the morning after your blood alcohol may still be high but you ain't necessarily impaired. I reckon your brain gets used to it or whatever. I mean I ain't a doctor, so you're probably best to wait it out though!

 

Takes around an hour for 1 unit of of alcohol to leave the body - so someone drinking say 7 pints of 5% lager or ale (approximately 18-20 units) in say 3 hours will still have alcohol (ethanol) in the blood close to 17 hours later, suplemented by the the first main metabolite Ethanal (which is the toxin that gives you that queasy stomach before being converted to Ethanoic acid (vinegar)) which is why the police will target those up to 10pm the following day. How that residual effects you cognitivly will depend o many factors, how much sleep you got, your body mass and metabolic speed etc - but the the law is designed based on largest impact to ensure safety for all road users -not on who can 'handle it' - etc. The Brain will no longer feel the elation associated with being alcohol - but will still be impaired emotionally and physically (think about the way in which tiny things become elevated in to major 'guilt' or feeling of unease the next morning - for some this emotional state happens earlier, just think of the tearful ladies in the toilets with their mates.

 

Basically, even if you feel 'ine' and no hangover, you are still functionally impaired whilst that alcohol/metabolites remains in your body - and dont discount teh fact that lack of sleep/tiredness tends to add to the dangers even if if think we are fine.

[trousers]

Most human beings are functionally impaired to varying degrees most of the time, regardless of whether they've got the remnants alcohol in their system or not.

[Bearsy]

Bearsy makes a good point

 

Good post! What I want to see is more posts like this!

 

just think of the tearful ladies in the toilets with their mates.

 

I did as you say and got boner!

[Frank's cousin]

Good post! What I want to see is more posts like this!

 

 

 

I did as you say and got boner!

 

you never fail to provide an interesting and amusing start to the day - I have a grim heavy workload so always good to get a laugh

[richie]

Just to correct an earlier poster. There is a mimimum sentence - its an automatic 12 month ban.