News Published on : 05-Jan-2022 12:23:20

A survey commissioned by the UK s leading independent road safety charity IAM RoadSmart has revealed that the majority of motorists are unaware of the amount of alcohol that will tip them over the limit while half admit they are prepared to drive the morning after late night drinks. Indeed of over 1 000 motorists surveyed 50% confessed they were likely to get behind the wheel the next morning following festive drinks even though it takes many hours before large amounts of alcohol leave the blood stream. Perhaps even more worryingly when respondents were asked how many micrograms of alcohol are permitted in 100 millilitres of breath before they would fail a police breathalyser on average the answer was 52. This is despite the fact the actual threshold is only 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath. Neil Greig Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart commented: Drinking and driving simply does not mix and every driver should plan to leave the keys at home rather than face a fine lengthy ban or time in a police cell. Worryingly the research also highlights that there is still real ignorance regarding how much alcohol is enough before it is illegal to drive. Although motorists may well think they know how many drinks will typically tip them over the limit individual characteristics such as body weight food consumption gender and metabolism will also determine the reading. The charity has also reiterated its plea to the government to roll out a smarter package of longer-term measures to help drive down the number of drink drivers on Britain s roads into the new year. This includes a lower drink-drive limit to reinforce good behaviour fast-track of evidential roadside testing machines to release police resources and tailored approaches to help drivers with alcohol problems.