I drank drove (sort of) but I didn't know what else to do. There's a (not v good) diagram.

[Uriahsnose]

I drove to my local pub like I do a couple of times a week. If I am having alcohol, I leave the car there and collect it the following day.

The other night, my neighbour/friend came in, was sober and offered to drive me home in my car-he only lives around the corner. As this is safer for me than walking home I agreed.

Some houses on my street have front gardens, some have drives. I have a front garden as does one of my next door neighbours. Terraced, narrow, village one way street-parking can be a bit awkward but the houses that don't have a drive all have a designated parking space.

So my friend goes to park my car and it transpires that he doesn't know how to reverse park. He tried to drive into my parking space but the NDN with a drive's car was sticking out of their drive, and the other neighbour (in front of where my car would go) is parked outside her house. So it ended up with my car sticking out at an angle, blocking the road. I told my friend 'you'll need to reverse park, you can't leave it blocking the road'. He tried but couldn't do it-kept saying 'I can't because I can't see!' And 'will that do' (no, it wouldn't!) so in the end I told him to get out and I parked it myself.

I was so nervous-even though I wasn't drunk (I'd had three of those mini bottles of wine) and I knew I couldn't hurt anybody, but It's still illegal isn't it?

AIBU to think that if you can't reverse park, you shouldn't be driving a tonne of metal?

(Just realised I haven't accurately depicted the gardens in my diagram but the basic set up/situation is the same)!

Bottom line is "feeling fine" would be no legal defence if you'd been breathalysed after missing a pedestrian stepping out.

Wholeheartedly agree!! You decided to be chauffeured home by someone who’s too inept to control a car in anything else but plain driving mode. Reverse parking is in the test, if you can’t do it then take lessons. If you can’t do excite this in the driving test then you fail and aren’t deemed worthy of a driving licence. These threads always serve as a painful reminder how many idiots are in charge of vehicles. Now let’s get to your question: it was wrong of you to drive - full stop. Parking is driving. You were in charge of a vehicle whilst intoxicated. Interesting that a full bottle of wine didn’t feel like much to you - you’ve clearly developed a tolerance but your blood alcohol levels will have been beyond the legal limit. I am not judging you - I am answering your question. It is even illegal to sleep off the drink in your car - even when it’s on your own drive. You can get done for being in charge of a vehicle whilst intoxicated- even if the key isn’t in the ignition.

False . So wrong. She would not be convicted of drunk driving on a private road as it is not a crime.

Another nonsense post. No one can get done for driving on private land drunk. No one. As it is not a crime.

Three of those mini bottles are going to be around 750ml so equal to a bottle.

If you were not caught and breathalysed you're OK.

But don't do it again!!

When I took my test 30+ years ago reverse parking wasn't in the syllabus. I still struggle, despite having had a couple of lessons to teach me. I think it was only a couple of years that it wasn't covered.

And you would get done for being intoxicated behind the wheel in a road or a public place ie the pub car park. You cannot get done on private land

Not clear if it’s a private road or ‘unadopted’ unless I’ve missed something. But presumably you would agree that if a public road and stopped by police, over the limit, in the drivers seat, keys in hand or engine running, is ‘in charge of the vehicle’.

Only if you might often be in a situation where it is required (like knowing how to reverse and simultaneously turn a wheel if you drive).

@Staunchlystarling

I love your confidence but wouldn’t bet on it:

Section 4 of the Road Traffic Act 1988defines drunk driving as “it is an offence if a person drives or attempts to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place whilst unfit through drink or drugs.”
This offence occurs when a person is found to be in charge of a vehicle on a public road or other public place while their level of alcohol consumption is such that they are incapable of driving the vehicle.
The term “in charge” is broad and can include a range of scenarios. It can refer to being behind the wheel of a stationary vehicle, having the keys to a vehicle while sitting in the driver’s seat, or even being near the vehicle with the intention of driving it.

1. Being on private property: Some people think that they can avoid a drunk in charge offence if they are on their own driveway or private property. However, the law is clear that you can still be charged with the offence if you are in control of a motor vehicle while over the legal alcohol limit, regardless of whether you are on public or private property.

I personally know someone who had a domestic with their ex, slept drunk in the car on their drive. Ex called the cops and one of the charges was being drunk in charge of a vehicle. It’s not like the OP was on a private island, she’s in what appears to be a town and among terraced houses so who’s talking nonsense. Err: you 😂

Just to be clear, this is not cut and dried in law. If a private road can be accessed by the public then you can be charged with drink driving. So unless there is no access other than for those who actually live there - gated community, for example, it doesn’t apply.

I did mine 21 years ago and it was included then and had been for a while, apparently they made it mandatory in 1991.

April 1991
Reverse Parking manoeuvre becomes a compulsory part of the test.

OP for what it's worth I also don't reverse park - for whatever reason I have real anxiety over it and there's just no way I'd reverse park someone else's car which would be even worse! That said, I would not have offered a lift without checking with you whether I'd be required to reverse park because I know that this is not normal!

I think the key thing I'd say is that the fact that you didn't think of the option of him driving the car back to the pub (even to discount it) shows that you were impacted by the alcohol and probably more than you think. I'm not with the group that thinks you parking the car was an absolutely terrible thing to do (although I wouldn't have gotten behind the wheel at all even absent my parking issues) but I do think that you were more impacted by the alcohol than you thought at the time and that's really worth you being aware of for the future.

Yep people have been charged for going back to their car to sleep it off on the back seat. Keys in their pocket = drunk in charge of a vehicle.

I always wonder where Van-lifers and motor home owners stand, legally, after a drink or two.

I know I was over the limit, haven't disputed that at all.

The road I live on is a private road.

If he was insured 3rd party on his own policy, that wouldnt cover him driving someone else’s car. If youre saying your insurance covers others to drive your car 3rd party whilst youre in the vehicle, your being over the limit would also invalidate your insurance.

I understand that. Wasn't going to happen here though.
I had to sleep in my car unexpectedly once while under the influence. I put my keys in the glove compartment and got on the back seat but I was still nervy. But that was in a public place.

Some extreme hysteria on here.
OP yes I would expect him to be able to park
Also whilst I agree generally that you shouldn't be behind the wheel after a drink, I highly doubt after a few mini bottles you'd of been a huge danger moving the car into a spot. Yes I know if your over the limit its illegal but if three minis affected you to the extent some say it would that you would not drink at all.

I passed in 1989, so a couple of years before it returned to the test.

I'm not quite sure I understand the point of this thread. Are you saying that you didn't drive home from the pub when you were over the limit and all you did was reverse your car a couple of feet into your driveway when you'd had three mini bottles of wine and wouldn't consider yourself drunk? As far as I'm aware, you can be as pissed as a fart on your own property, so you're worrying about moving your car two feet on the highway?

It is half a bottle of wine

I'll just continue to drive there and walk back. It's not a problem, I just took up the offer of a lift on this one occasion not realising how bad a driver he was.
It's 0.2 miles away. I am not wasting a taxi driver's time (and my money)for that distance. It's a 6 minute walk if that.

😂😅😄

Do the public have access to this road that is on private land, or is it a gated community or Balmoral or something?