New drink driving laws are bad news for one-pint-only drinkers

30 comments

1. Labour is flaying the crippled body of Pubs while they’re barely still alive.

2. Drinking and driving is a bad idea and “only” one pint can be too much for some. Nothing against the law.

3. A zero tolerance policy will be more clear for everyone, no ambiguity, and may even be easier to enforce.

   **Edit**: A lot of people at taking zero tolerance at face value (0.0000%). That is not what I’m suggesting. I am suggesting a “close to zero” tolerance policy that  effectively means no alcoholic drinks. Not actually 0.0000%. I didn’t actually think that needed spelling out first time round. Zero tolerance of alcoholic drinks, not zero tolerance of sub atomic levels of alcohol in the blood.

4. Are there any statistics that show how many people crashing are under the current limit but above the proposed new limit?

5. Labour are intent on killing the pub industry aren’t they. What exactly is supposed to replace it?

6. It’s got nothing to do with “one pint only drinkers”, it’s more the next morning drivers.

7. I would say the bigger issue is drug driving. So many are smoking weed behind the wheel and worse

8. Not as if there’s any traffic police left anyway to catch them

9. Except there is no new law and all they are doing is considering it…

10. How do you know when you’re safe to drive the morning after a night out?

11. Don’t drink and drive.
    Otherwise you’ll spill your drink.

12. Looks like your gonna need to watch the hangovers like us Scot’s have had to cos that’s where they get ya the next morning hungover driving to work – ouch!

13. People on Reddit love to act like having a single pint with a meal is going to kill a family of 5

14. This is extremely stupid, drinking a small sip of alcohol isn’t going to make you drunk. I feel like this law is oppressive and baseless.

15. Its an interesting one we already have the offence of Driving, or being in charge, when under influence of drink or drugs. [https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/4](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/4)

    For the layperson you can be over the prescribed limit which is what section 5 of the road traffic act deals with, section 4 is a catch all for those under the limit but deemed to be unfit to drive. Not sure what lowering the limit is actually going to achieve here?

16. What a shame this would be. Not only will this kill off a lot of country pubs, but it will also increase the isolation of society.

17. As a Canadian, TIL you say Drink Driving instead of Drunk Driving as we do. Learn something new every day!

18. I have no issue with zero tolerance, if I touch alcohol I don’t drive full stop.

    One consideration however is the morning after.

    I am rather small and I know for a fact if I was to go out and drink 3-4 pints (which is honestly super rare) then the next day I will still have alcohol In my blood stream.

    With the current limits I can drive the next day (let’s assume I stop drinking at 10pm and need to drive at 1pm the next day), with a 0.0 requirement I would not be able to drive the next day at all.

19. And the complete destruction of the country pub industry. Successive governments taking sledge hammers to pubs is so sad to watch.

20. Since when does making things illegal stop them happening…..If anything pubs are gonna be up shits creek.

21. the more they push this kind of Zero tolerance law, the more people get comfortable ignoring it.

    pub culture is a major part of this country, and most pubs you have to drive to, taxis are way to unaffordable, so have 1-2 pints and pop home. this kind of law (if people listened too it) would kill pub culture, this will only change how many arrests, and the kind of people arrested.

    it will greatly diminish the reputation of the police, and not really change anything.

    its another own goal, in a time of madness. imo.

22. People who cause accidents because of alcohol are almost always over the existing limit.

    The current limit works well because people who break it are generally well aware that they have, and society treats them accordingly.

    A reduction of the limit will water down the stigma that goes with a drink driving ban. As it becomes more common, and for seemingly more minor offence (remember, the new limit is totally legal at the moment and has been for decades), a drink driving conviction may not necessarily be viewed with the seriousness that it should be. People will be able to legitimately state that they were unaware they were over the limit, and certainly would not have impaired driving ability.

    Yet more unnecessary government interference.

23. I live in Scotland, it’s pointless and not required. Expect to see more pubs disappear.

24. It made no difference in Scotland, just a further excuse to cripple the pub trade.

    Pretty much everyone who has knocked someone over whilst drunk has been in excess of the current legal limit, so what good does reducing the limit do? By that I mean, can anyone find a single story of statistic anywhere that demonstrates someone who had a single pint (or was below the limit) and it impaired their driving resulting in a collision? Because I can’t. So what is the purpose of reducing the limit?

    And given that the current law is not remotely enforced, what is the point? Just enforce the current law.

25. I have no objections to lowering the legal limit, but lowering it to the point where someone won’t be able to drive for 10 hours after a single pint is just going to encourage people to go “Fuck it. May as well have another” and DUI anyway. Not to mention how difficult it’ll be to enforce without random traffic stops

26. I wonder who would be safer on the roads.

    A large healthy 30 year old person who has had 1 pint or almost legally blind 98 year old Dorothy who can’t even see over her wheel, let alone read a number plate 10 metres away.

    Not advocating for drink driving in any capacity but if we’re this concerned about safety when driving we really need to start taking a look at the older driving population as well.

27. Whenever there’s new, more restrictive laws that come in, I have to think “Who actively wants this, and why?”

28. At this point, is it even a conspiracy theory to say that labour are actively trying to lose the next election?

29. Can’t have a wank, can’t have a pint. What’s next?!Banning a nice sunny day?!

30. Prefer Clarkson’s suggestion.

    No limit, but if you’ve had a drink you have to place a flashing beacon on the roof to alert other drivers you’ve had a few. and drive no faster than 10mph. If you’re caught going faster than 10 then you are immediately sent to prison.

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