# Drink drive warning.



## Stiff (Jun 15, 2015)

A warning to all you drivers, be careful about drink driving as we are getting close to Christmas and Police are out there checking on people. Last night I was out for a few drinks. One thing lead to another and I had a few too many cocktails and then went onto the wine. Not a good idea. Knowing I was over the limit, I decided to leave my car at the pub and took a Bus home. Sure enough, I passed a police checkpoint, where they were pulling over drivers and performing breathalyser tests. Because I was in a Bus they just waved it past. I arrived home safely and without incident, which was a real surprise as I've never driven a Bus before and I am not even sure where I got it from....


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## ashfinlayson (Oct 26, 2013)

:lol:


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## Rick101 (Nov 20, 2017)

Very good :lol:

On a more serious note, if you want to drink, leave the car at home.

Too many people think one can't hurt. The reality is it can and does.

You can easily spent £100 on a night out. Save that last drink and take a taxi home instead


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## Stiff (Jun 15, 2015)

As above, drink driving is *never* a good move in *any* circumstances.








Taxi is definitely the best choice too. I was quite lucky getting the right bus otherwise I could have ended up miles from home.


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## ashfinlayson (Oct 26, 2013)

You can vomit on a bus unnoticed, in a taxi he'll charge £50 to clean it up [smiley=cheers.gif]


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## Delta4 (Jun 19, 2015)

Excellent :lol:


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## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)

I've always believed that the drink drive limit should be 0 [smiley=book2.gif] Telling people that having 1 or 2 drinks and driving after is ok is a bit silly.. especially as some people's 1 or 2 turns into 5 or 6, then they get behind the wheel;

there's tons of people around who are terrible drivers when they're sober, let alone after a couple of drinks :lol:


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## qooqiiu (Oct 12, 2007)

The limit should definitely not be zero.

Imagine getting pulled over in the middle of the afternoon next day and failing. The law and limit at the moment is fine.


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## j8keith (Jun 26, 2009)

I too think that the alcohol limit should be zero.


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## AndreiV93 (Mar 29, 2017)

qooqiiu said:


> The limit should definitely not be zero.
> 
> Imagine getting pulled over in the middle of the afternoon next day and failing. The law and limit at the moment is fine.


Well if alcohol is still in your system the next day and fail the breathalyzer, you probably shouldn't be driving anyway as that means you're still drunk :lol:


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## qooqiiu (Oct 12, 2007)

Having alcohol in your system doesn't mean that you're drunk and nor does blowing over the limit.


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## ashfinlayson (Oct 26, 2013)

My dad was telling me the other day that those self-breathalyser tests you have to have when driving on the continent were getting close to their use by date so he tried one out at 8am after having 5 pints the night before and he showed up clear. So you've really got to have a skinful to still be under the influence the following afternoon.


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

qooqiiu said:


> Having alcohol in your system doesn't mean that you're drunk and nor does blowing over the limit.


Isn't that more to do with your definition of 'drunk' though?


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## qooqiiu (Oct 12, 2007)

Yes.


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## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

There's enough research to show people who have had one drink on average have better reactions when driving, due to the drink making them more conscious of their actions and hence they concentrate more then under 'normal' conditions, with the negative implication of alcohol on the body playing a smaller part than this increased concentration. (After 1 drink driving standards did tend to slip mind you!)

I'm not suggesting we all neck a pint before the daily commute, but food for thought... maybe it would help! :lol:


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## Spandex (Feb 20, 2009)

NickG said:


> There's enough research to show people who have had one drink on average have better reactions when driving, due to the drink making them more conscious of their actions and hence they concentrate more then under 'normal' conditions, with the negative implication of alcohol on the body playing a smaller part than this increased concentration. (After 1 drink driving standards did tend to slip mind you!)
> 
> I'm not suggesting we all neck a pint before the daily commute, but food for thought... maybe it would help! :lol:


I think those studies tend to isolate reaction times in order to achieve that result though. Whilst it's interesting, it doesn't tell us much about how actual real-world driving ability is affected by that one drink.

If reaction times were the only thing affected by alcohol, or were the most important factor in driving safely, it would be significant. I don't think either of those things are true though.


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## Stiff (Jun 15, 2015)

NickG said:


> There's enough research to show people who have had one drink on average have better reactions when driving


I'll drink to that


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## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Stiff said:


> NickG said:
> 
> 
> > There's enough research to show people who have had one drink on average have better reactions when driving
> ...


Just make sure you go out and test the theory [smiley=bomb.gif]


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## Stiff (Jun 15, 2015)

NickG said:


> Stiff said:
> 
> 
> > Just make sure you go out and test the theory [smiley=bomb.gif]


No thanks. I'll just take a bus home.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Well told - fooled me until I read the last line and in spite of me reading the same before :lol:

Incidentally there's a BAC calculator in the Mk1 KB if anyone wants a check on reality.

This subject was discussed at length in 2014 here: viewtopic.php?f=8&t=840745

It's an interesting subject as it deals with chance and statistics and perception of risk which is often awry.

The effect of a small amount of alcohol is small and lost in the noise but the chances of having an accident doubles (x2) at the drink drive limit and rise rapidly beyond that to many times the norm. At about half the BAC limit the chances of an accident are still around x1 compared to normal in two WHO statistical studies with one study showing a small reduction in risk. At this end of the scale an increased effect on the accident rate is not readily measured reliably.

So it's interesting that calls for a zero limit would have no evidential benefit from this data.

It's also very interesting that nobody seems to worry about increasing the distance they drive, perhaps doubling their commute for a new job say and not thinking that this also doubles (x2) their chances of an accident. A sobering but rarely considered thought.


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

Another big problem with drink drivers is that they usually flee the scene if anything happens.

So anyone left there injured is on their own in an unprotected scene.

Same for uninsured drivers, they usually don't hang around.


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## Homie (Feb 18, 2006)

I bought a home brethalyser a couple of years back. I have found after a night out I can still be over the limit (Lower Scottish Limit - 50 mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood) well into the afternoon.


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## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

How much did you have to drink??


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## Homie (Feb 18, 2006)

John-H said:


> How much did you have to drink??


Probably about 6-7 pints of beers, some of them stronger than average, started about 6pm and stopped drinking about 12:30am


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