Shropshire lawyer warns of drink drive danger amid World Cup and Christmas party season

With the two major events running almost side-by-side this year, motorists driving under the influence of alcohol are a major concern for the authorities.

Police warned ahead of the World Cup kick-off that they "will take robust action" against drink drivers.

According to recent figures from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, 104 people were killed or injured in a crash in Shropshire where there was a failed breathalyser test, or the driver refused to take one, between 2018 and 2020. There were 76 in the Shropshire Council area and 28 in Telford & Wrekin.

Now Stephen Scully, who regularly represents offenders in front of judges at the county' courts, shed light on how easy it can be to get caught the morning after the night before.

Mr Scully, of Telford firm Lanyon Bowdler, specialises in driving offences. He said that as people will be getting together for Christmas parties, driving the morning after a drink is a real danger.

He said: “It’s really important - not just at Christmas, but at any time of the year - to be aware of the risk of being over the legal drink drive limit the morning after a drink.

“However, whenever alcohol is involved, it’s really important to be aware of how it can still be in your system the next day.

“Guidance shows that you should allow up to three-and-a-half hours per large glass of wine before driving, which adds up to 14 hours if you have had four large glasses of wine - quite easy to do whilst watching a football match for instance.

“If you have been drinking medium-strength beer, it is advised that you leave two-and-a-half hours for every pint - so if you have finished drinking five pints of beer at 11pm, you shouldn’t drive until 11.30am the next day.

“Of course, everyone’s body deals with alcohol in different ways and at different speeds, but by keeping these timescales in mind you can avoid any unwanted surprises this Christmas.”

For more advice about driving offences, Mr Scully can be contacted on 0800 652 3371 or stephen.scully@lblaw.co.uk.