He writes:
Arguably most people are aware that alcohol severely reduces driving ability putting drivers, passengers and other road users at risk. The dangers of drink driving are very real and caused 240 deaths on road last year.
There are strict limits for alcohol levels in England and Wales. The legal alcohol limit is 80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
The advice from the DfT is that it is impossible to say how much alcohol a person can drink and stay below the limit for driving as the effect of alcohol on a person depends on:
- Weight, age, sex and metabolism
- The type and amount of alcohol drunk
- Food eaten
- Stress levels
DfT advice is that it is better not to drink if driving.
Another important thing to remember is that time is the only thing that gets alcohol out of the system. Sleep, coffee, cold showers or bacon butties do nothing to take alcohol out of the body. There is a very real risk that drinking the night before could leave a driver still over the limit in the morning even after a few hours’ sleep.
If alcohol severely reduces driving ability on road and causes deaths what makes drinking and then driving off road any safer? Nothing I would say.
The real danger that being under the influence of alcohol whilst at work and the morning after effect presents has been tragically illustrated by an incident which occurred in 2013 but has only recently come to court.
In this case a tractor driver, who had been drinking the night before, reversed his tractor and muck spreader up a yard and knocked down and killed an 11-year-old child. The driver was breathalysed and found to be 2.5 times over the legal limit. As the incident occurred off road in a farm yard the police were not able to prosecute. A case was taken up by the HSE and the driver, who pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 16 months in prison for breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Drink is not the only thing that can affect driving – drugs both legal and illegal can have a dramatic effect on driving ability and more so if mixed will alcohol. Drugs like alcohol can remain in the system for some time afterwards.
Awareness is needed at all times but perhaps more so now when many of us will go to Christmas and New Year parties. Every one – drivers and employers need to make sure that no one gets behind the wheel if over the limit. Think – drink and tractors and any vehicle do not mix.