Drink Driving - What you should know
The legal limits for drink driving are:
- 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath
- 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood
- 107mg of alcohol in 100ml of urine
The prosecution must prove that an individual drove, or attempted to drive on a road or other public place, after consuming alcohol and that the amount of alcohol consumed was above the legal limit
Penalties for driving;
A mandatory disqualification of a minimum of 12 months will be enforced upon conviction. If you have a previous disqualification in the last 10 years, this will increase to a minimum 3-year disqualification. 3-9 penalty points may be endorsed onto your driving licence as well as being subjected to a financial penalty. You may be offered the opportunity to go on a voluntary course (Drink Drive Education course), which will reduce the length of your disqualification by 25%.
Defences
“Hip flask” defence – you will need to show that you were only over the prescribed limit at the point of the police procedure being carried out, due to the amount of alcohol consumed after driving and prior to being arrested by the police.