Well ZERO is not strictly true, from the 5th of December 2014 the legal limit in Scotland will be reduced from 80mg of alcohol in every 100ml of blood to just 50mg. Now what that means in REAL terms is this, a PINT of normal strength lager or a large glass of wine would put you over the legal driving limit and therefore if you were stopped and the reading is higher than the new limits then you will be fined and you could lose your driving licence.
Do I think the new limit is a good idea?
Yes I think lowering the limit will most likely put most off even chancing one drink, personally if we as a family are going out there is always a designated driver for the evening and they drink nothing!
So the big question is this, why NOT ZERO? Is it to stop being fined if there is a trace of alcohol due to eating a sherry trifle or a whisky liqueur?
Now I don't condone drink driving far from it, however one of the biggest problems is the 'morning after the night before' there are no clear guide to when you are completely clear of alcohol the morning after a couple of glasses of wine for example! Yes there is a rough guide....from the time you consume your last drink, add an hour, then add an hour for each of the units of alcohol you had the night before, simple? no it's not that simple, because a lot of it is down to what physical size you are or just how good your digestive system is. So for this reason I think that the Scottish Government has only went part of the way to sort the problem. What I think you will find is less people being caught drink driving but more being caught 'the morning after the night before' !
So here are three suggestions to ensure you are driving within the legal limit the morning after...
So let this be the next ZERO tolerance in Scotland.
Have a safe Festive Period, if you are not driving drink sensibly and if you are driving DON"T DRINK AND DRIVE! IT KILLS.
Jim
Do I think the new limit is a good idea?
Yes I think lowering the limit will most likely put most off even chancing one drink, personally if we as a family are going out there is always a designated driver for the evening and they drink nothing!
So the big question is this, why NOT ZERO? Is it to stop being fined if there is a trace of alcohol due to eating a sherry trifle or a whisky liqueur?
Now I don't condone drink driving far from it, however one of the biggest problems is the 'morning after the night before' there are no clear guide to when you are completely clear of alcohol the morning after a couple of glasses of wine for example! Yes there is a rough guide....from the time you consume your last drink, add an hour, then add an hour for each of the units of alcohol you had the night before, simple? no it's not that simple, because a lot of it is down to what physical size you are or just how good your digestive system is. So for this reason I think that the Scottish Government has only went part of the way to sort the problem. What I think you will find is less people being caught drink driving but more being caught 'the morning after the night before' !
So here are three suggestions to ensure you are driving within the legal limit the morning after...
- Buy a good quality electronic breathalyser which indicates if you are within limits
- Drink less the night before , ensure that you only have one glass rather than two or three if you know you have to get up next morning to drive your car.
- ZERO alcohol! If you don't drink the night before then you know 100% that you will not have alcohol in your blood stream therefore you are guaranteed to be under the limit.
So let this be the next ZERO tolerance in Scotland.
Have a safe Festive Period, if you are not driving drink sensibly and if you are driving DON"T DRINK AND DRIVE! IT KILLS.
Jim