Legal Advice on Drink Driving Offences
It remains a fact that despite the strict road traffic laws that exist to prevent such incidents, drink driving related accidents are an extremely common problem. Every year in the UK over 3,000 people are either hurt or killed in road traffic accidents which are caused by driving under the influence of alcohol. If you are charged for a drink driving offence, or become involved in an alcohol related crash the penalties can be severe, and it is advisable to seek the advice of a solicitor as soon as possible who specialises in road traffic law.
The penalties associated with drink driving offences are usually based upon the seriousness of the incident in question and how much alcohol has been consumed. Under road traffic law the maximum alcohol limit for drivers is a ratio of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood (or 0.08% blood alcohol content). Typically this would be equivalent to an average sized person consuming no more than two pints of normal strength beer. It must be remembered however that this only is only the absolute limit, and that drinking any alcohol whatsoever before driving a vehicle is not a good idea.
Many people like to gamble the risks of drink driving by attempting to guess how drunk they may be, however due the frequently impaired judgement that is so often caused by alcohol, this will often produce disastrous results. There are also a variety of factors which play into blood alcohol levels which will render any attempt to guess pointless, such as:
- age, sex, height and weight
- the metabolism of the person
- how much the person has eaten
- the number of units of alcohol that has been consumed as well as the type (beer or spirits etc)
Due to the dangerous implications of driving under the influence of alcohol, drink driving offences are harshly punished under UK law. This is for good reason as any person under the influence of alcohol will be subject to number physical limitations that will seriously impair their ability to drive safely, including:
- substantially slower reaction times which will effect stopping distances
- a dangerously reduced ability to judge speed and distance
- considerably reduced ability to see clearly
According to road traffic law, any attempt to drive whilst over the legal alcohol limit could result in a maximum penalty of six months behind bars, a minimum 1 years driving ban as well as a £5000 pound fine. Any penalties associated with a drink driving offence will also remain on a driving license for a considerable amount of time, which will also drastically affect the driver’s insurance premiums. In more serious drunk driving incidents such as a cause of death, an offence can also carry a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison as well as driving ban lasting a minimum of two years.