Why in this day and age have you not simply done away with the drink drive limit?

[HoneyDragon]

And just simply made it no booze no driving?

If they wanted absolute fairness they could have a discretionary much lower limit (ie low enough that it would not be felt to impair your driving) deemed fineable/point on your license, rather than a ban in cases where people GENUINELY thought they were ok the following day and are involved in a spot check?

I’m happy to go out, have just the one and drive (being under the limit). After more than 30 years driving I think I’m still far safer than someone with 2 years experience who has had none.

TheBrilliantMistake

Possible, yes. But not a good idea. With driving speed exemptions there are also powers to make it safer, e.g. special training/onus on other road users to get out of the way.

We shouldn't have a law that says driving with a certain blood alcohol level isn't allowed because it's dangerous, then simply let some people do it anyway. In my view.

People need to be in charge of judging their own abilities, and if you're one of the people who does feel wobbly after a small glass of wine, then you would clearly not let yourself drive, but I wonder if it has been shown to always be the case. There are lots of factors you have to judge when deciding if you can drive, like medication, tiredness, stress, distractions (such as children in the car, playing music, etc). Measuring just one aspect, like speed of reaction time, after alcohol isn't going to give a good picture of its affect on overall driving ability, so I wonder what has been shown to be a level that is in line with other behaviours that we do consider acceptable (e.g., music).

I’m happy to go out, have just the one and drive (being under the limit). After more than 30 years driving I think I’m still far safer than someone with 2 years experience who has had none.

Sadly, you can't always measure things this way, and there will come a time as most people with elderly parents will testify - when older people THINK they are great drivers when in fact they are a serious danger.
Also, the other massive factor with drink is that it affects us more than we realise. We 'think' we're totally lucid and able to make decisions (and often we are) but our reaction times are slower.

I agree we need to be tougher on careless driving too. As for alcohol, as soon as the limits changed here in Scotland, dh and I stopped having "just one" and most people we know are the same as it's frowned upon if your caught. It's not worth it. You always get arseholes but most law abiding types adjust their behaviour so over all I think it's been a good thing here.

agree agree agree

youarenot
I can beat that, 1986 😇

Should be a blanket ban, it's ridiculous.

Because you have trace amount of alcohol in some medications and there is no such thing as absolute zero, only too low for the machine to read. Agree with no driving within at least 12hr of a drink though so should be set very low.

I’m a new driver; I’ve been deemed safe to drive by an examiner, however I don’t have the skill set of someone who has been driving for years so may misjudge a roundabout or junction. So I might well be more of a liability than an excellent driver who’s had a glass of wine. But the criteria to allow me on the road were clear cut and simple.

I tend toward thinking it would do away with the should I or shouldn’t I mentality as other posters said. Especially as there is a culture of drinking as an essential social lubricant in the U.K.

I'm in Scotland too, and agree with what others have said - it appears to have stopped those having "just a couple" then driving home.
I don't drink as I have a disabled child who often needs rushing to hospital, but I was breathalysed after an accident a few years ago, I passed the breathalyser but there was a tiny positive amount (can't remember what it was but the policewoman was laughing it was so small), and I hadn't drunk alcohol in years before that, or taken any medication. If the limit was 0, I could conceivably have been arrested for drink driving.

It is changing the culture in Scotland. The last 2 years at our Christmas night out, 90% of people were not drinking....because they had to get up early the next day and drive first thing in the morning. This is a huge change. In the past, people only didn't drink if they were driving home that night.

What’s the evidence? How many drivers that cause accidents are just under or just over the limit vs well over? Changes to policy need to be evidence based.