One pint then driving

[DustyLee123]

I hate drink driving, full stop. But I’ve just discovered that my DH has one pint when he arrives at the match, and then drives home.
If I say anything I’m controlling, and many people think one drink (although this is two units) is ok, but I’m thrown by it.

If you drink alcohol, you are drinking driving.
The legal limit is pretty arbitrary or we wouldn't have variable limits in the UK.

@NunyaBeeswax If people have lost loved ones to car accidents involving alcohol and they think it's fine to drink any amount and still drive, it's up to them and their conscience to live with, not mine.

Who on earth said that? Who said they have lost loved ones and think it's fine to drink any amount and still drive - show me who said that on the thread?

If you're referring to me - I said I DON'T drink and drive, but have no issue with the law as it stands. That doesn't mean I think it's fine to drink any amount, that's patently absurd. The person who got so tanked up they knocked my family off the A465 down the side of mountain was FOUR times over the limit. FOUR. They were steaming drunk - so drunk that they didn't know what they had done until many hours later in custody. But hopefully you weren't referring to me with your comment because it's entirely inaccurate and frankly insulting.

That's your opinion and mine is it would only be drink driving if over the legal limit (other posters have that view point too). A pint of beer is not going to impair a regular drinkers judgement.

@NunyaBeeswax

Please say where you got these figures. Because they are much higher than any I've ever seen.

When you google, an RAC article comes up. But @NunyaBeeswax has conveniently left out an essential part of the sentence that says killed or injured!

The article specifically says that between 290-320 people were killed where one or more drunk drivers were involved.

I know lots of people who won't have even a sip if driving. I also know lots of people who wouldn't think twice about a pint at the start of the match and then driving home hours later. I am fine with both. I had a glass of wine with a friend last night over dinner. We finished the wine and the food and then sat over coffee and dessert for a good hour or more and then I drove home. Didn't even consider it would be a problem.

@allaboutthat nope, I'm defending the law as it stands which is that having a pint of beer, waiting approx. two hours and then getting behind the wheel is not classed as any kind of "drunk driving".

I don't even drink myself so it's not like I'm trying to ease my conscience or anything - but some of the hyperbole on this thread is batshit.

Yes - exactly.

I don't consider someone who is following the law and waiting (at least) two hours after one pint of beer before driving to be any kind of risk.

I wonder how many people on here drive after being up half the night with their kids? Or drive when they're unwell or exhausted or distracted by something?

It wouldn't bother me. I'd not drink a pint and drive straight away not that I drink pints but I might have a drink with a meal/if I knew I wasn't driving until later. For an average sized man It's even less of an issue than a female,most of the time.

Everyone needs to establish their own limits. I wouldn't be worried about my DH driving after one pint especially at the start of the evening when he's watched a football match afterwards.
I don't generally drink and drive but have occasionally had one small wine with a meal then driven a few hours later.
I wouldn't drive straight after drinking wine, or if I'd had it on an empty stomach.
If you don't like drink driving then don't do it but I do think it's a bit controlling not wanting your DH to.

I think it's irresponsible to drink and drive regardless of it being legal in the UK. It's not legal in other countries for good reason.

My dad used to drink and drive and he was a selfish idiot too.

I think most people are saying they wouldn't even consider this drunk driving because of how little alcohol is being consumed and how much time is passing between the drink and the driving.

He's not drink driving! He's having a pint, going to a football ground, watching a game, going back to his car then driving home.

Not having a pint and getting straight into his car 🙄

This is a ridiculous argument "it's not legal in other countries so it shouldn't be legal here" There are lots of things that are legal in the UK but illegal in other countries. Do you think we should be immediately banning, for example:

Gay marriage
Abortion
Freedom of speech?

Or perhaps, things that are legal in other countries but not in the UK should be legal here such as handgun ownership?

I went to a talk by a medic a few years ago who talked about the impact of lack of sleep on judgement etc and he said it was the equivalent of consuming alcohol. So, on that basis, most parents of small children would be unable to drive at all. For the record I don’t drink if I am driving but I live in London so it’s rarely an issue.

That is exactly what came to my mind too - countries that have laws against drinking but will happily stone gay people to death. I know which I prefer.

It may well be well over 3

Alcohol isn’t allowed by law in football matches. So he’ll be arriving in the vicinity of the game and going to the pub.

Then

• leaving the pub and getting to the ground
• queuing for entry/security
• getting to seat in good time before kickoff (longer if he actually wants to see any prematch ents, or get a greasy burger on the way in). So at least half an hour so far?

Then

• the match itself - basic 90mins playing time
• add half time break
• add time for stoppages
• possibly add extra time
• occasionally if a KO competition, possibly add penalty shootout . So at least 2 hours, possibly longer

Then

• actually getting out of the stadium whilst thousands do the same (loads of waiting)
• returning to where you parked. Could be anywhere from 30 mins upwards

I'm ex police and this is pretty much just a scare tactic.

Firstly, it's not routine to breathalyse everyone at any accident. That's even if police attended.

Secondly you can refuse a breath test (wouldn't recommend it, you would probably get arrested but you can't be physically forced to take one)

Thirdly - how would anyone be able to prove that the amount of alcohol in your system, which is under the legal limit, was what impaired your judgement and control? That's impossible to establish retrospectively.

Fourth, and most importantly - If you were in a serious enough accident to incur a 'penalty' it wouldn't be the police in charge of awarding or deciding said penalty anyway - if you were, for example, charged with careless driving/death by dangerous driving or anything else, then it would go to court, and the judge/magistrate (if you were convicted) to decide on any penalty. The arresting officer judging you for having had a drink is of no relevance whatsoever.

Sentencing has to be in line with guidance - judges can't just randomly make stuff up.
Technically it could result in a more severe penalty but only in so far as pretty much anything - driving barefoot or after not having slept for 24 hours or after taking allergy medication could result in a more severe penalty - it might not be recommended but it's not illegal, therefore in order to use it as a contributing or exacerbating factor you'd have to prove it definitely was one. You couldn't just say 'oh he'd had a drink so his judgement and control was probably impaired even though he was within the legal limit.'

You can only punish people for actually breaking the law, not 'coming close' to it.

The title of this thread needs to be changed from, 'one pint then driving' to 'one pint and driving 2-3 hours later'.

@NunyaBeeswax he won't get in trouble for drunk driving for having one pint over 2 hours before he drives. He won't be anywhere near the limit.

Genuine question for those in support of one drink, then driving.

If your child was having surgery in the afternoon and you saw the surgeon in the pub at lunch having a quick pint, would you be happy?

Let's say it's one pint, surgeon is a large man. His judgement says he's done this operation loads of times before and his metabolism will have burned it all off by the time he has a scalpel in his hand later that day.

If it makes ansolutely no difference to your judgement why couldn't a surgeon have 'just the one' with food?

Bit of a crude analogy, but I think people forget that driving a car is operating heavy machinery, and the consequences of any slight lapse in judgement can be fatal.

If it was 3hrs before, and he wasn't working... technically the same will apply. Scientifically there would likely be no traces of alcohol in his system.

@NaiceViper you can buy alcohol at the ground, that’s where he’s getting it.

Surgeons should not be drunk when operating (or indeed when on duty at all)

But it's OK for them to have a drink whilst off duty and when there is a long enough interval to have passed for the alcohol to have left their system before they are next due in to work.

That'll be a bar in the wider stadium complex? No sales permitted within sight of the pitch, nor can alcohol be taken into the stands.

If that's where he's drinking, then you can probably shave 15 mins off my time lines as he'd not have to walk from pub to grounds, but he'd still have to go through security and get to his seat

(Might be different if he's in corporate hospitality, but I'm assuming he's not)