One-in-20 admit to drink driving – survey

One-in-20 drivers would get behind the wheel despite knowing they were at or above the legal alcohol limit, according to a new study.

With the Christmas party season in full swing, a survey has found that 11 per cent of motorists would drive knowing they were close to the legal limit, but ‘just about ok’.

In addition, 18 per cent of drivers reckon they would still get behind the wheel knowing they had alcohol in their system but ‘feeling sure’ they were under the limit.

The legal drink drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100ml of breath, but it’s considerably lower in Scotland at 22 micrograms.

Of those who would get behind the wheel while at or above the legal limit, the most common excuse was ‘I feel sober enough’ at 56 per cent, followed by ‘only having a short distance to drive’ at 43 per cent.

The third most common excuse was claiming ‘the roads will be quiet’ (26 per cent) followed by believing they’d ‘probably get with it’ (22 per cent).

The study of 2,000 adults was carried out by breathalyser company AlcoSense, which is urging drivers not to drink anything at all before getting behind the wheel.

Hunter Abbott, managing director of AlcoSense, said: “Even small amounts of alcohol slow your reaction time, inhibit judgement, reduce concentration and affect eye, foot and hand co-ordination.

“This increases the likelihood of a crash. At just one-eighth of the current limit for England and Wales you are still 37% more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident than when sober”.

AlcoSense also warns of driving the next morning after drinking the night before, with four pints of beer or four large glasses of wine taking as long as 14 hours to clear your system.