The Legal Limit
The drink-drive limit varies from country to country. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The limit in Scotland, in contrast, is only 50 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood (from December 5th 2014). Scotland's limit is consistent with countries such as France, Belgium and Denmark. How Alcohol Impedes Driving
According to drinkaware.co.uk, the impact of consuming alcohol includes:
- the brain taking longer to receive messages from the eye
- processing information becoming more difficult
- instructions to the body's muscles being delayed, resulting in slower reaction times.
Staying Under The Limit
Drinkaware.co.uk says that there is no foolproof way of drinking alcohol and staying under the limit. In other words, there is not a “I can have two glasses of wine and be fine” rule. Why? Because the amount of alcohol required to make a driver illegal varies according to:
- weight
- gender
- metabolism
- stress levels
- age
- amount of food in the body
Penalties For Drink-Driving
Offence: Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink.
- three months’ imprisonment
- up to £2,500 fine
- driving ban.
Offence: Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through drink.
- six months’ imprisonment
- up to £5,000 fine
- ban for at least one year (three years if convicted twice in 10 years).
Offence: Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood or urine for analysis.
- six months’ imprisonment
- up to £5,000 fine
- ban from driving for at least one year
Offence: causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink.
- fourteen years’ imprisonment
- unlimited fine
- ban from driving for at least two years
- extended driving test before the licence is returned