Drinking and Driving
Drinking and driving offences carry a mandatory minimum of 12 months driving ban. There are several different offences related to drink driving; Driving or attempting to drive with alcohol level in excess of the legal limit, driving or attempting to drive while unfit through drink, and driving or attempting to drive with excess alcohol and then failing to supply a specimen for analysis.
Drink Drive Limit
The current legal limit is 35 microgrms of alcohol per 100 ml of breath or 80 milligrms of alcohol per 100 ml of blood. You will also receive a fine of up to £5,000 and a ban, depending on your alcohol level of 12 to 36 months.
Possible Drink Drive Defences
There are 4 main defences for drinking and driving;
- You were not driving
- You were not on a public road
- You consumed the alcohol after driving, not before
- Deny you were over the limit & contest unreliable evidence against you
Additionally, you can argue that you shouldn’t be banned because there are special reasons why you should be allowed to keep your licence. Special reasons can include having your drinks spiked, driving for a genuine emergency, or because you only drove for a very short distance without putting anyone or any property at risk.
Professional legal advice is an essential if you want to be successful defending drinking and driving offences.
I was reading the other day about mobile phones being more dangerous that drinking and driving. Pound for pound I doubt that, somehow because if you look around everyone is on their bloody phone all the time whereas the vast majority of drivers don’t drink and drive.
A woman once drove me to drink….. and never even stopped to thank her
Scary to think how many drivers are either drunk or stoned behind the wheel
Important points