Drinking and Driving at the 2012 Olympics

 

No, this article is not about a new Olympic event. For those of you lucky enough to attend the Olympics in London this month, and for those watching the Olympics on television, we wanted to present a few useful facts about drunk driving in Great Britain to add a little color and background to the athletic events taking place in the London area.

 

First of all, it’s called “Drink Driving” in England. Drink driving is not a typo – it’s a shortened expression for “drinking and driving.” In the USA we say drunk driving, in the England they say drink driving.

 

The legal limit for drink driving in Great Britain is the same intoxication level as in the USA. However, the intoxication limit is expressed using a different unit of measurement. The unit of measurement for breath alcohol in the UK is micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliter of breath. The legal limit for drink driving in the UK is 35 ?g alcohol per 100 ml breath. The equivalent measurement in the USA is 0.08% BAC, which is the legal limit in every state in the USA.

 

The penalties for drink driving in the UK can be severe. (source: direct.gov.uk)

 

 

Drink driving offence	Maximum penalty
Being in charge of a vehicle while above the legal limit or unfit through drink	3 months’ imprisonment up to £2,500 fine a possible driving ban
Driving or attempting to drive while above the legal limit or unfit through drink	6 months’ imprisonment up to £5,000 fine a ban from driving for at least one year (three years if convicted twice in ten years)
Refusing to provide a specimen of breath, blood or urine for analysis	6 months’ imprisonment up to £5,000 fine a ban from driving for at least one year
Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink	14 years’ imprisonment an unlimited fine a ban from driving for at least two years an extended driving test before your licence is returned

 

The advice at the London Olympics is the same as in the USA: If you drink, don’t drive.

 

 

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alcopro@alcopro.com