Breathalysed and over limit next day

Yes, alright Mathepac. As I said, I can see the loopholes, and have already ceded (if you've read my last post) that taking the human angle/sympathetic view into account can be abused, so you can get off the moral high ground.

I presume though, from the tone of your last post, that you never ever get it wrong or make a genuine, albeit stupid, mistake.
 
mathepac said:
Current education just doesn't seem to be reaching the target audience, or the audience members are choosing to ignore it. The ads say "If you drink, don't drive", the ads do not say "If you drink, drive when you think you are safe based on what some idiot on a bar-stool told you was a fool-proof way of measuring / guaranteeing your sobriety".
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Out of interest, how would you determine when it is safe to drive after having a drink (or three). "If you drink, don't drive" could mean you never drive again after having a drink. That is obviously not the case, so you need some sort of objective measure to know when you are safe to drive again. If you drive and are not a member of the league of temperance, you need something, surely?

The advice I was handed is to give myself an hour for every unit of alcohol imbibed, counting from the end of the last drink, which would appear to be a conservative yet useful tool. For example three pints by midnight would be your limit if you intended to drive the next morning (giving yourself 6 hours plus change). A 10 drink bender (which I've never had) would mean you shouldn't drive the next day at all. I've never considered that to be idiotic advice.
 
Eh no, you drink and drive your basically pointing a gun at innocent people. Why should people have to pick up the pieces after some weakling had not got the strenght and will power to leave the car. She must have had a savage amount of drink to be over at 1 O'Clock in the afternoon next day and after a "substantial breakfast". Unless she arose at 12 O' Clock, she is setting a record there or at the very least I would have my motabilism checked out asap.
 
Sylvester3 said:
Out of interest, how would you determine when it is safe to drive after having a drink (or three). "If you drink, don't drive" could mean you never drive again after having a drink. That is obviously not the case, so you need some sort of objective measure to know when you are safe to drive again. If you drive and are not a member of the league of temperance, you need something, surely? ...
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As we're in LOS, I'll let that one pass. ;)
Sylvester3 said:
... The advice I was handed is to give myself an hour for every unit of alcohol imbibed, counting from the end of the last drink, which would appear to be a conservative yet useful tool. For example three pints by midnight would be your limit if you intended to drive the next morning (giving yourself 6 hours plus change). ...
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This is the exactly the kind of simplistic rubbish that causes problems.

There is a rule of thumb that says a normal healthy adult, who is well rested, well nourished, emotionally stable, not on any medication, with a normal body-fat content, who is not dehydrated, has not imbibed alcohol the previous day, has a normally functioning liver and kidneys, drinking at a normal pace, etc, etc. has the ability to metabolise a single unit of beverage alcohol per hour on a given day (the hour starts when the last of the drink is taken). On a different day with any of the variables changed, that ability may change, upwards or downwards.

Gulping a two-unit drink and waiting two hours may not work; the liver has to work that bit harder to metabolise the additional beverage alcohol, so two hours may not be enough to do the job. As the effects on the liver tend to be cumulative, both short and long term, after three such drinks the metabolic efficiency of the liver is any one's guess.

Anyone acting on such ill-founded advice is behaving irresponsibly.
Sylvester3 said:
... A 10 drink bender (which I've never had) would mean you shouldn't drive the next day at all. I've never considered that to be idiotic advice.
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Very sensible - whether a "10 drink bender" consists of 10,15, 20 or more units units of alcohol, it ties in with the adage "If you drink, don't drive".

Even if all of the metabolites that indicate the presence and level of alcohol in a person's blood-stream and therefore brain have gone, post-bender, there are other issues to be considered such as :

  • Level of tiredness
  • Dehydration
  • Ability to concentrate
  • Emotional state (anxiety, worry, regret, anger, etc.)
  • Physical state (sweats, shakes, headache, dodgy tummy, etc.)
all of which may effect a person's ability to drive, cycle, roller-skate or maybe even walk safely.
 
its a joke really,most of the gaurds i know..one of which is my cousin! drive around nearly all the time over the limit..makes a bit of a farce of things, then again who is going to brethalise them!
 
starlite68 said:
its a joke really,most of the gaurds i know..one of which is my cousin! drive around nearly all the time over the limit..makes a bit of a farce of things, then again who is going to brethalise them!
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Don't worry, karma will get them.
 
mathepac said:
There is a rule of thumb that says a normal healthy adult, who is well rested, well nourished, emotionally stable, not on any medication, with a normal body-fat content, who is not dehydrated, has not imbibed alcohol the previous day, has a normally functioning liver and kidneys, drinking at a normal pace, etc, etc. has the ability to metabolise a single unit of beverage alcohol per hour on a given day (the hour starts when the last of the drink is taken). On a different day with any of the variables changed, that ability may change, upwards or downwards.


Even if all of the metabolites that indicate the presence and level of alcohol in a person's blood-stream and therefore brain have gone, post-bender, there are other issues to be considered such as :

  • Level of tiredness
  • Dehydration
  • Ability to concentrate
  • Emotional state (anxiety, worry, regret, anger, etc.)
  • Physical state (sweats, shakes, headache, dodgy tummy, etc.)
all of which may effect a person's ability to drive, cycle, roller-skate or maybe even walk safely.
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You talk sense and I don't, which I realised earlier today, so I give in. I'm not that much of a drinker anyway so it doesn't make any odds for me, but I realise it probably wouldn't be a wise idea to take my rule-of-thumb as gospel. Play safe kids, mkay!
 
aristotle25 said:
A year off the road probably reflects the less serious aspect of this case, I thought most get put off the road for 2 years?
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I was thinking the same
For the first offense is it not a two year ban and you can apply for your license back after one year?

As for the OP's friend, the limit is the limit!
It doesn't matter if it's 1pm in the afternoon or 3am coming home from a nightclub.
The limit is the same and this person failed
 
Maximus152 said:
She must have had a savage amount of drink to be over at 1 O'Clock in the afternoon next day and after a "substantial breakfast".
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Agreed. Probably an all night bender, but that's just my opinion. She has paid a heavy price for irresponsible behaviour, harsh and all as that may sound. I feel sorry for her, as the OP has stated (like most people) she needs the car for work. She must also possibly endure the ignominy of the court case and local newspaper report. It is a serious punishment to lose your licence, and the freedom and independence that a car gives. But it is also a necessary one in a country like ours where drink driving has killed so many, but has until recently been considered a bit of a laugh.
 
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