Driving when wasted?

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Section 4 of the RTA 1988 gives three offences relating to this. Driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle when unfit through drink or drugs. All that must be proved is that the person's driving ability has been impaired. You do not need to prove how much of the substance is in the person's body.

Section 5 of the RTA gives three further offences of driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle while over the prescribed limit. This doesn't require the proof of impairment, just that the person has more of a drug in their body then they should.

Drugs and alcohol can be tested either with a breath test, blood test or a specimen of saliva or sweat. Failure to provide a specimen is an offence under S.6.
 
Westyfield2 said:
Good point, not sure where I stand on that to be honest.

What I was thinking of really was:
  • Person A: 81mg in the blood but it's not affecting them at all, and they're driving perfectly well, reacting very quickly to everything around them, correctly judging speeds and distances etc.
  • Person B: 79mg in the blood and they're driving really badly, slow reaction times, miss-judging speeds, miss-judging distances etc.
  • Person C: 00mg in the blood but is a dozy cow anyway and is driving really badly, slow reaction times, miss-judging speeds, miss-judging distances etc.

Under the UK law only person A would be prosecuted, but surely persons B & C are driving far worse? But as they haven't gone over a magic number they're not prosecuted :confused:.
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B could be prosecuted under s.4 RTA (or the same as follows) and C could be prosecuted for careless/dangerous driving/due care and attention.
 
Infam0us said:
That was made Illegal on boxing day anyway so he would still be prosecuted ...
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And that just proves how ill informed people are about drugs.

Bubbles is Methedrone (or the Phenethylamine '4-methylmethcathinone' to give it it's correct name ) - is very much still legal (unscheduled in the UK)

BZP ( and related analogues )and GBL (gamma-Butyrolactone ) have both been banned (on the 23rd of December 2009) - They are class C, and carry up to 2 years for possesion or up to 14 for dealing.

And how exactly do they know he was under the influence ? Did they do a blood test to check for stimulants or did he admit to taking it because he thought it was OK to drive with it being a legal substance ?
 
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Burnsy2023 said:
Section 4 of the RTA 1988 gives three offences relating to this. Driving, attempting to drive or being in charge of a mechanically propelled vehicle when unfit through drink or drugs. All that must be proved is that the person's driving ability has been impaired. You do not need to prove how much of the substance is in the person's body.
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Coffee is a drug though. If someone had this legal substance in their body that im talking about, and it didnt show up as 'drugs' what would happen? Nothing?

edit - I remember someone informing me a while ago that this stuff im on about shows up in your system as smack. Proably a load of twoddle though, like all the rumours about things
 
Guest2 said:
Coffee is a drug though. If someone had this legal substance in their body that im talking about, and it didnt show up as 'drugs' what would happen? Nothing?

edit - I remember someone informing me a while ago that this stuff im on about shows up in your system as smack. Proably a load of twoddle though, like all the rumours about things
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And if your driving is impaired through caffeine you can be prosecuted. If you couldn't prove that drugs were the cause then you'd be prosecuted with dangerous/careless/due care and attention.
 
Andy said:
Who the hell would want plant fertiliser in their body?
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Mephedrone isn't plant food, it's only sold as such to get around distribution legislature. Much in the same vein that mimosa hostilis and other ayahuasca derivatives are sold as incense sticks in the UK. People who really think said drug is actually plant food are showing their ignorance on the subject and probably shouldn't comment anyway.

It's kinda like the dudes who think dope is marijuana.

Mephedrone is legal on a per individual basis, but it sure as hell won't stay that way for long. A variety of mainland European nations have banned it recently and the UK will likely follow suit. The tabloid hysteria sure aren't helping! The sad thing is, banning it, as with many other drugs, will make it much more dangerous as it would then be manufactured by underground sources and cut with god knows what. The safest thing to do is to regulate and educate, but we all know that isn't going to happen.
 
KNiVES said:
Mephedrone isn't plant food, it's only sold as such to get around distribution legislature. Much in the same vein that mimosa hostilis and other ayahuasca derivatives are sold as incense sticks in the UK. People who really think said drug is actually plant food are showing their ignorance on the subject and probably shouldn't comment anyway.

It's kinda like the dudes who think dope is marijuana.

Mephedrone is legal on a per individual basis, but it sure as hell won't stay that way for long. A variety of mainland European nations have banned it recently and the UK will likely follow suit. The tabloid hysteria sure aren't helping! The sad thing is, banning it, as with many other drugs, will make it much more dangerous as it would then be manufactured by underground sources and cut with god knows what. The safest thing to do is to regulate and educate, but we all know that isn't going to happen.
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Very well said!
 
Was he fit to drive? No.

Now go round and give him a slap.

Next time someone might not be so lucky :rolleyes:
 
paulh said:
Very well said!
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Indeed. People should research before coming out with a load of crap they heard in a newspaper

So, it would be wreckless driving. Unless it came back as a drug on tests. However it couldnt be wreckless drinving unless you were driving wrecklessly... So it would be nothing? I dont get it

Headlight out/tinted windows etc > Stopped by police > Look like your high > Agree to testing > Comes back as nothing in your system > Free to go??
 
Haven't read the entire thread - but as said in a few posts, 'driving under the influence' related charges would apply (wreckless / dangerous driving).. which you can receive for driving while under the influence of anything that alters your state of mind, certain types of cough medicine are included in this, so I suspect your 'legal' high drugs would also be included. The coffee example is a poor one, caffeine is a stimulant, I don't think these would count unless it was a massive overdose.
 
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I'm a correct in thinking specific people in this thread are or have been a part of the club scene at some point? ;)
 
Instead of asking questions like this, just tell him not to do it in the first place. It's not bloody hard, the selfish idiot. :rolleyes:

When I read of people like this, I hope they crash into a tree.
 
G-MAN2004 said:
Instead of asking questions like this, just tell him not to do it in the first place. It's not bloody hard, the selfish idiot. :rolleyes:

When I read of people like this, I hope they crash into a tree very hard.
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Fixxx0rd0d
 
Listening to some of the frankly puerile, stupid and dangerous comments in this thread makes me despair.
The excuses for wanting to drink/take drugs and drive and get away with make me agree with the poster that stated better they kill themselves before killing anyone else.
The law about driving whilst impaired is there for a reason. Ask any of the victims :rolleyes:
 
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