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Drink Drive Limit

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 15344
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Think it's more of a money making scheme (through fines) rather than a well thought out plan in terms of road safety (like most road safety initiatives tbf).

As far as I'm aware the weight of evidence with regard to drink related accidents are when people are blotto, not after a small glass of wine with lunch.

I'd much rather efforts were made to make people better drivers, which imo would have a far greater effect on road safety if not the govt/police coffers.

For my mind, tiredness (to pick one example) is far more dangerous than the aforementioned small glass of wine when driving. And how many on here have (or would admit to, is more to the point) driving whilst tired? Up all night with the sick child and driving to work with little sleep perhaps? I'm willing to bet the vast majority of drivers have driven when they really are to tired to do so without adverse effect on their ability.

As for the zero alcohol brigade? That argument merely illustrates an ignorance of the issue. Plenty of medicines (perhaps even some you take) contain alcohol and would put you over the limit (even if only fractionally). There is a limit for that very reason.


Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't drive after drinking myself, I stick to coke if I'm driving (not the Peruvian coke btw).

However.

I refuse to take advice regarding alcohol seriously from a (pretend) parliament that advocates minimum pricing on alcohol for the plebs while enjoying a number of subsidised bars at Holyrood. Hypocrisy of the highest order!
Nor will I take seriously a guy advocating the change in law who can enjoy a wee half whilst promoting the whisky industry safe in the knowledge the chauffeur driven car awaits!

'lead by example or allow others to lead


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/535592.stm

Favours from the Chief Constable perhaps?
 
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Slime said:
Meanwhile ...................................back in the real world!


Slime.
Click to expand...

Sorry is it that hard to get picked up ?

I drive my two fc to golf each weekend - that allows them a couple of pints

See plenty get lifts with mates to enable them to have a drink

Have a few that drink thrn drive home - I would like to see coppers to sit outside golf clubs - would certainly catch their fair share amount of drink drivers
 
Imurg said:
What are the benefits of a reduced limit?
Is there much real difference between what we have and a limit half of that?
Click to expand...

Well currently people may have two pints and whilst be just under or on the limit will be effected by the effects alcohol brings to a person

Reducing it under a pint would then reduce possibly the amount of people that push the limit and will hopefully have the one half pint or shandy and stop thereby not being as effected as much

Some people can be effected by two pints or even a pint and a half or even one glass of wine
 
Liverpoolphil said:
Last year the amount of drink drive accidents rose by25%

1 in 6 accidents caused by someone over the limit

http://www.drinkdrivingfacts.com/drinkdriving/drink_driving_facts.aspx
Click to expand...

That figure is skewed a wee bit due to the sharp drop in previous years though. Still 25% less than 2009 and 40% less than the 2005 -2009 average. A steady decline over the years, one would expect the odd spike though, even if the spike is still lower than most previous years figures. Statistics, eh. :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23529736
 
Liverpoolphil said:
1 in 6 accidents caused by someone over the limit

http://www.drinkdrivingfacts.com/drinkdriving/drink_driving_facts.aspx
Click to expand...

Thats not what it says Phil... It says 1 in 6 fatal accidents are caused by Drivers over the limit.. It also appears to be giving statistics from 2004 for some unknown reason..

The site you've linked to also appears to be a website advising drivers who have been caught Drink Driving how to escape punishment.. Not exactly the best source to prove your point..
 
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bluewolf said:
Thats not what it says Phil... It says 1 in 6 fatal accidents are caused by Drivers over the limit.. It also appears to be giving statistics from 2004 for some unknown reason..

The site you've linked to also appears to be a website advising drivers who have been caught Drink Driving how to escape punishment.. Not exactly the best source to prove your point..
Click to expand...

Sorry pasted the wrong website

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/ras51-reported-drinking-and-driving

At the end of the day - one is one too many and each one could possibly have been avoided

I will never understand why people would ever be against have a very low drink drive limit

Surely it's being done to try and save lives
 
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Liverpoolphil said:
Sorry pasted the wrong website

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/ras51-reported-drinking-and-driving

At the end of the day - one is one too many and each one could possibly have been avoided

I will never understand why people would ever be against have a very low drink drive limit

Surely it's being done to try and save lives
Click to expand...

The very first table shows that the methods already being taken have proven very effective in bringing down the accident rate. It should also be noted that there is no way of stating that the current accident rate would diminish with a lower level. You can't state that the alcohol was the determining factor in any of the accidents listed.

Whilst I agree that even a single death is too many, there is absolutely no way in hell of making car travel totally safe. If you want to reduce road deaths to zero, then you'll have to get rid of all traffic on them. Even then someone could trip over a poorly fitted grid and break their neck.. What then? Ban leaving the house?

Your argument is flawed at its most basic level. You cannot make every aspect of every persons life totally safe. We take risks every day. I'm taking a risk using this computer. We can make every reasonable effort to safeguard people, but you can't make everyone safe all the time..:D
 
It should be a zero rating , not a drop then everyone knows where they stand , thats how it was in my job for years , zero for drinks and drugs so everyone knows where they stand , wanna drink then dont drive
 
I'm not against a very low limit , but a zero limit a step too far. I think they would be better targeting the causes of other 5 out of 6 fatal accident.
 
bluewolf said:
The very first table shows that the methods already being taken have proven very effective in bringing down the accident rate. It should also be noted that there is no way of stating that the current accident rate would diminish with a lower level. You can't state that the alcohol was the determining factor in any of the accidents listed.

Whilst I agree that even a single death is too many, there is absolutely no way in hell of making car travel totally safe. If you want to reduce road deaths to zero, then you'll have to get rid of all traffic on them. Even then someone could trip over a poorly fitted grid and break their neck.. What then? Ban leaving the house?

Your argument is flawed at its most basic level. You cannot make every aspect of every persons life totally safe. We take risks every day. I'm taking a risk using this computer. We can make every reasonable effort to safeguard people, but you can't make everyone safe all the time..:D
Click to expand...

Again why not reduce the risk as much as we possibly can ?

Is reducing the drink driving limit going to bring an increase in accidents ?

Why are people so against a reduction in the level

Is having that one more drink that important before they drive ?
 
williamalex1 said:
I'm not against a very low limit , but a zero limit a step too far. I think they would be better targeting the causes of other 5 out of 6 fatal accident.
Click to expand...

Would think they would be better trying to reduce all accidents as best a humanly possible

Reducing the limit is a rule they can bring In easily for starters
 
Liverpoolphil said:
Again why not reduce the risk as much as we possibly can ?

Is reducing the drink driving limit going to bring an increase in accidents ?

Why are people so against a reduction in the level

Is having that one more drink that important before they drive ?
Click to expand...

But you have no proof that a lower level would be reducing the risk! The statistics show that most people caught over the limit, are over by a significant amount. They know the limit and have ignored it. They would just as easily ignore a lower limit. Make more effort to catch the serial offenders (even though several on here would then complain that the Police were persecuting motorists).

I haven't researched this, but how does the UK DD accident rate compare to countries who have a lower or even zero limit? Are the UK roads so much more unsafe than other countries?

A quick google has found these graphs.. I haven't checked their validity though... http://www.abd.org.uk/safest_roads.htm
 
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Practically every post I've read has missed the most pertinent point; it's not the limit that is the issue, it is the chances of being caught that will determine compliance with the limit. As traffic police are replaced with speed cameras, more people will take a chance as they know they are unlikely to be caught regardless of what that limit is.

And don't gets me started on a zero limit… :angry:
 
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