Never EVER Drink and Drive – this is a message that almost everyone in Northern Ireland is familiar and agrees with.
But what does The Highway Code say about drink-driving?
- Rule 95 says:
“Do not drink and drive as it will seriously affect your judgement and abilities. You must not drive with a breath alcohol level higher than 35 microgrammes/100 millilitres of breath or a blood alcohol level of more than 80 milligrammes/100 millilitres of blood.
Alcohol will:
- give a false sense of confidence
- reduce co-ordination and slow down reactions
- affect judgement of speed, distance and risk
- reduce your driving ability, even if you’re below the legal limit
- take time to leave your body; you may be unfit to drive in the evening after drinking at lunchtime, or in the morning after drinking the previous evening
The best solution is not to drink at all when driving, because any amount of alcohol can impair driving ability. If you are going to drink, arrange other means of transport.”
- Page 126 says:
“For every offence which carries penalty points the court has a discretionary power to order the licence holder to be disqualified. This may be for any period the court thinks fit, but will usually be between a week and a few months.
In the case of serious offences, such as dangerous driving and drink-driving, the court MUST order disqualification.
The minimum period is 12 months, but for repeat offenders or where the alcohol level is high, it may be longer. For example, a second drink-drive offence in the space of 10 years will result in a minimum of three years’ disqualification.”
- Page 125, Penalty Table:
Remember that it isn’t just about driving on the same day/night, but also the dangers of driving the next day.
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