Lower drink drive limit for Scotland

[Michael Browne]

From 5 December 2014 the blood–alcohol limit is going to be reduced from 80mg in every 100ml of blood to 50mg in Scotland.

 

In practical terms this means that someone drinking alcohol and driving could be ‘over the limit’ to drive after a relatively small amount of alcohol.

 

As the normal method of checking how much alcohol is in your system is a breath test you should be aware that the new limits for the breath test are 22 microgramms of alcohol in 100ml of breath. This has been reduced from 35 microgramms

 

The new limits are only being introduced in Scotland. If you are in England and Wales and Northern Ireland the drink driving limits are still 80 microgramms in 100ml of blood. If you are within the alcohol limit for driving outside Scotland and cross the border into Scotland in your vehicle you may fail a breath test.

 

 

This may be particularly important to be aware of over the Christmas and New Year breaks as many people visit family and friends all over the UK. Remember that drinking the night before can mean you are over the limit the next day because it takes some time for alcohol to leave your system.

 

http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/news/whats_new_nov14_drink_limit_to_be_lowered_before_christmas_s.htm

[ploddertom]

For me there should only be one figure for this - ZERO - that way you know for definite.

[Guest]

might as well be 0. 2 or 3 units (a can of 5+% beer) is around the 35 limit?

maybe its just above zero in case someone has just used a mouthwash

[citizenkain]

I don't think it ever could be zero,what if you have a sherry trifle?,couple a liquers?,or even a good xmas cake,theres gonna be a bit of alcohol around

[scaniaman]

And do you think that the new limits will have any effect on habitual drink drivers???? Note, I said "Drink" drivers NOT "Drunk" drivers.

[citizenkain]

Yeah,I think it will have an effect on habitual drink drivers as there will be more chance of them being prosecuted if caught drink driving because the limit has been reduced.

[Guest]

I don't think it ever could be zero,what if you have a sherry trifle?,couple a liquers?,or even a good xmas cake,theres gonna be a bit of alcohol around

 

true, there has to be an allowance for such goodies. but, that shldn't end up more than 20/100 (blood) (unless eating all the pies/pudding ), which is effectively seen as 'zero'. apparently.

50 is apparently seen as around a pint/glass of wine. interesting.

[danielr]

limit is going to be reduced from 80mg in every 100ml of blood to 50mg in Scotland.

 

If you are in England and Wales and Northern Ireland the drink driving limits are still 80 microgramms in 100ml of blood

 

mg = milligrams = x10^-3

ug = micrograms = x10^-6

 

 

That makes the article make no sense.

 

80mg per 100ml in Scotland.

80ug per 100ml in England.

 

You can't possible be within the limit in England and over the limit is Scotland!

[stu007]

First driver caught under Scotland's new drink drive rules: http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/u/first-driver-caught-under-scotlands-new-drink-drive-rules.1417777358

[scaniaman]

Read all the accident statistics on that link and wonder how the pollis can prove these accidents were caused by drink given that even sober, many drivers are an accident looking for somewhere to happen.

What is conveniently forgotten is that when drink driving laws first came in there was a TV programme that took several celebrities on a race track or airfield and tested them after increasing amounts of drink--why are these statistics NOT also published.

There is going to be an ever increasing stigma attached to those caught over this very low limit just like we smokers have to endure at present. Enough is enough.

[ericsbrother]

Your body produces alcohol in digesting fruit and bread so a zero limit is truly impossible to achieve.

The original figures were just guesses and then checked against a test group driving a car as stated, they werent celebrities, I knew one of the people who took part and the driving performance was evaluated at varying alcohol intake levels. The results varied massively from person to person with some showing an improvement in their driving skills after a goodly amount of drink. It is the same for safe drinking levels over a week, they were guesses and have been tinkered with ever since. The big problem is that raging alcoholics tell their doctor they only drink 2 pints a day and the doctor doubles that figure and it looks like people are wrecking themselves on 28 units a week when in reality the problem drinkers are consuming 8 times that.

The new limits in scotland is somehow magically supposed to stop the criminals going about their old ways but we all know the reality, you make criminals of the law-abiding and the criminals arent affected because they dont obey the law anyway.

[scaniaman]

Your last paragraph sums it up not only for drink drivers but many other facets of life in this PC country. A good earner is all I think it is + back covering for the police.