Scotlands DUI limit reduction-Consequences?

Orionaut

Orionaut

Orionaut

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Would anybody know if Scotland's reduction in the DUI limit has actually had any detectable effect on the actual accident rate,

Or has it simply criminalised large numbers of people and damaged rural economies for no particular gain (Or not??)
 
Before I would have a drink or two and be fine as it would be out your system by the time you were pulled over breathalyzed and back to the station for the second test. Now I have none.

I approve of it, as now it's pretty clear. You cannot drink anything and then drive, simple as that. The idiots that choose to ignore this deserve whatever they get. Before it was a grey area you could get away with a couple so some bent that and used that to justify drink driving. I once had some guy tell me at a party he couldn't believe he got done. At the start of the story he said he had only had a couple then went on to describe having at least 4 which probably means at least 6 bottles (so 3+ pints) as obviously he was being modest about the true figure.

I would say I could easily have 2 pints and be fine to drive however the law is the law and the law states I can have none. Why risk your job, prison, your whole life just to have a pint? Get a lift/taxi if you want to drink, simple as that. I once worked with a guy who would be high after half a pint and red eyed after a full one. He drank a couple of pints every friday/saturday night after work with us so it wasn't due to not drinking in ages he just had a very low tolerance. He would get a lift or walk home as he was within walking distance from work but there is no way he could drive after one. So that is why I approve it makes everything a lot clearer.

I don't drink much unless it's a special occasion. I suppose it has probably hit the restaurant trade the hardest. As people would normally share a bottle of wine or have a couple of pints with their meal. Now I doubt many would risk it.

Pubs will always have their local clientele that walk home, etc and the other pubs who cater for people on nights out, etc who will always be getting taxi's home.

I hope they introduce something for those that smoke drugs and drive. I find it amazing more aren't caught doing that.
 
I live in England but am in Scotland visiting family a lot.

I never touch a drop when I'm up there and driving in the same day. Neither does anyone else.

Down here I'll have 2 shandies every time I'm out, just to make the most of it before the laws change here.

As for statistics, couldn't say. But given everyone I know doesn't touch it, they must be positive.
 
I was listening to a piece on the radio and they made a good point, the people most likely to cause accidents are not those having one or two drinks, its the people that have 6 or 7 and drive anyway. To these people it makes no difference, so I was pleased when they announced there were no plans to review the England drink drive limit. I think it'll make a difference, but a small one I would imagine, however as you say it's likely to hit the trade as if it was lowered I wouldn't even have one.
 
i am not fit to drive after one pint, goes straight to my head, 3 or 4 more make no
differance really, its the first one that would make me a danger on the road.

i suppose i am a bit lucky, i dont drink and drive because i cant, i never got a chance
to drink 2 or 3 then wonder if i would be ok.
 
I hope they introduce the law here, then make it a mandatory prison sentence for people caught ignoring it.
 
Surely anything that discourages combining alcohol with driving is a good thing?

If people are habitually drinking and getting into the drivers seat and they are the ones that suffer then that is the point.

A pub losing out on selling a few pints to that person is a price worth paying to discourage drink driving.
 
I couldn't care less tbh for me driving and drinking doesn't mix even if I knew I was under I would still not touch it.
 
A colleague and I used to go for 1 pint on a friday night after work and drive home. Its too risky now though so we just don't bother.

It must be having a negative effect on the pubs, there must be a lot of people have done the same as us.
 
I hope all the people who are saying what a great idea this is never drive when they're tired, when they're unwell, when they're stressed / angry, looking at a sat nav, shouting at their kids, changing songs on their iPod, drinking a cup of coffee, or any one of the millions of things people do every day which are more dangerous than having a glass of wine or two with a meal and driving home afterwards.
 
Likelihood is you still could have a (small) glass of wine with dinner then drive home an hour later tbh.

I can't honestly say the change has affected me other than being even more careful when I drive the day after being out late or having a large amount tondrink (if I drive at all)
 
geekman said:
I hope all the people who are saying what a great idea this is never drive when they're tired, when they're unwell, when they're stressed / angry, looking at a sat nav, shouting at their kids, changing songs on their iPod, drinking a cup of coffee, or any one of the millions of things people do every day which are more dangerous than having a glass of wine or two with a meal and driving home afterwards.
Click to expand...

http://www.whenwillibesober.com/

Well I guess when you put knowingly driving over the limit next to shouting at the kids to shut up the law seems unreasonable.
 
Hotwired said:
http://www.whenwillibesober.com/

Well I guess when you put knowingly driving over the limit next to shouting at the kids to shut up the law seems unreasonable.
Click to expand...

two small glasses of wine at 11% is under 3 units, over the course of a meal (say two hours) I would be shocked if you were over the limit, given that a pint is around 2.5 units dependent on strength. even two medium glasses is under 4 units.
 
Hotwired said:
http://www.whenwillibesober.com/

Well I guess when you put knowingly driving over the limit next to shouting at the kids to shut up the law seems unreasonable.
Click to expand...

Some people can have a glass of wine and be over, some people can have 3-4 and not be. Those online calculators are useless, only way to know for sure is to be breathalysed. There is no way I would be even remotely close to the limit after 2 glasses of wine with a meal, and I can tell you that because I have in fact been breathalysed....
 
Problem is, people can't judge what is their limit, so surely not to drink at all when driving should be encouraged?
I never touch a drop when driving, and I'm 'probably' safe after a glass or two, but I would certainly never risk my license by doing it.
 
Uther said:
Problem is, people can't judge what is their limit, so surely not to drink at all when driving should be encouraged?
I never touch a drop when driving, and I'm 'probably' safe after a glass or two, but I would certainly never risk my license by doing it.
Click to expand...

It is already very much encouraged: there have been numerous police campaigns about it.

It's all about acceptable risk. You could say that every car should be limited to 70MPH because that's the maximum speed limit, or every car should be fitted with a black box to ensure limit compliance at all times. You could even ban all types of screen/infotainment in cars. I'm sure all of those would reduce casualties far more than having a 0 drink drive limit, but the government would never implement such laws as they obviously consider the current level of risk to be acceptable.

All lowering the limit does is criminalise previously law abiding people. The kind of person who's going to cause an accident by getting into a car whilst completely ****ed is still going to do that regardless of the law.
 
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