Drink & Driving - Absolute Zero Tolerance - Yes, No?

[Bielzibubz]

No need for a poll as the choices are quite simple. Should there be an absolute zero tolerance on alcohol. Should the law be reduced to 5 milligrams per unit of blood down from the current 35?

Now I don't drink (I'm allergic to alcohol + love driving) so I have a somewhat biased viewpoint but there's something I can't quite get my head around. I think we'd all agree it's not the taste that makes an alcoholic drink so appealing is it, it's the fact it's got alcohol in it that counts so if your driving why have just the one? What's the point of having just the one drink and saying right that's my lot, I'm driving later? If your driving at all don't have any, none. It's going to make bugger all difference to your enjoyment of your night out is it.

What if you got leathered on a Friday night and had to drive in the morning I hear you ask. Well, you'd have surely known about it the night before and therefore not drunk so much, simple.

With the misery and pain that a drink driver can cause surely it makes sense to now have a total no drink & drive policy and have it's policed properly.

Perhaps someone that has just the one or two drinks when they take the car out can explain why they must have an alcoholic drink as opposed to a coke, J2O etc.

I fear I'm going to get slated but sod it, zero tolerance on alcohol in the blood, good or bad idea?

 

[londonblue]

Firstly, for me the taste important. I don't drink anything I don't like the taste of. There are some ales I like, and some I don't like. There are some wiskeys I like, and some I don't like. That is all based on taste. I will therefore have a drink because I like the taste, and will stop at one should I need to. However I usually don't even have one if I'm driving because I don't want to take any kind of risk. But, zero tolerance is a hard one because even some over the counter medicines (such as Day and Night Nurse) contain alcohol.

Your limits above are also wrong. From the drink aware web site the limit is:

In the UK, the alcohol limit for drivers is 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, 35mg per 100ml of breath or 107mg per 100ml of urine.

So, assuming you meant reducing 35mg per 100ml of breath to 5mg per 100 ml of breath, I don't actually know if that would allow for medicines as per above. If it does then I don't have a problem with the change in the limit simply because, for the most part, it wouldn't really affect me.

 

[Bielzibubz]

Thanks for clarifying the amounts LB. I didn't do any checking before posting but yes I meant the latter and put 5mg to take into account the likes of cold remedies etc. It's also interesting you mention taste but that shouldn't make any difference to the amount you drink if your driving.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I agree with the idea in principle Phil, but if you really like a drink, it's very difficult being limited to just one - or even none - when the world and his wife around you are happily getting smashed! I think it's easy enough if you're just down the pub or something like that, but it's big festive occasions like Christmas and New Year where it's harder to limit yourself.

For me, the added problem is that I dislike most of the soft drink options available, if I'm driving, I'd much rather have a cup of tea or coffee - and that's easier at Christmas as you're usually in someone's home or a restaurant where it's readily available.

I'm sure we've all known people who have drunk more than they should and then got into a car and driven. Unfortunately, the people that do that kind of thing just aren't affected by any of the campaigns on tv or in the press, they all think they're fine to drive and nothing will happen to them.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I'm sure we've all known people who have drunk more than they should and then got into a car and driven. Unfortunately, the people that do that kind of thing just aren't affected by any of the campaigns on tv or in the press, they all think they're fine to drive and nothing will happen to them.

Yup. I've got a colleague who subscribes to the 'five and drive' theory. Unbelievable.

 

[Bielzibubz]

I take on board the whole taste argument but again I say if you drink anything you shouldn't drive. If the taste means that much and you choose to also drive I suggest your principles are slightly screwed.

 

[MK Shrimper]

I don't due to the fact if I have one pint then I'm generally gagging for the toilet half an hour when I leave the pub.

 

[Uncle Leo]

I take on board the whole taste argument but again I say if you drink anything you shouldn't drive. If the taste means that much and you choose to also drive I suggest your principles are slightly screwed.

I think there's something to be said for having just one across a whole evening. I personally don't bother, but if (say) you're at a friend's house for a whole evening and they've got a really good wine in, one glass taken a few hours before you're going to get in the car is fairly harmless.

 

[OldBlueLady]

I think there's something to be said for having just one across a whole evening. I personally don't bother, but if (say) you're at a friend's house for a whole evening and they've got a really good wine in, one glass taken a few hours before you're going to get in the car is fairly harmless.

I agree with that, I often drive to the quiz nights and I usually have one when I arrive and stick to soft drinks after that. If you're not driving for 3 hours or more, I don't see any problem in having one drink early in the evening/session.

 

[Vange Shrimper]

I agree with that, I often drive to the quiz nights and I usually have one when I arrive and stick to soft drinks after that. If you're not driving for 3 hours or more, I don't see any problem in having one drink early in the evening/session.

Since I've been driving, I refuse to drink when I know i'm going to be driving the same day and even the night before I know i'm driving in the morning. Just know I wont feel as confident if I have one when I know when i'm driving. That's just my choice =)

 

[RobM]

You cannot really have a limit of zero. Firstly, metabolism of sugars produces alcohols admittedly in tiny amounts. Secondly, having worked in various labs for ages, the liimit of detection of the test itself has to be factored in. If, for example, the repeatability of the test (repeatability meaning same sample, test equipment and operator) is 2 (units are irrelevant here) then the maximum limit must be 2. With reproducibility (same sample, different operator, different test apparatus) the reproducibility may be 3 (it is invariably more) so a sample of distilled water could give a result of 3 which in our scenario would be a fail!
So as mentioned, a limit of, say 5 would be sensible. But, like people using their mobiles on the road, the possibility of getting caught should be a deterrent.