New drink drive limit law?

worded

When is it law?
How much is too much?

Can I have one bottle of beer? A half pint?

littlejukka

no. if you're going to drive, don't bother drinking at all.

Keith186

Who knows?

Some ministers might think they might be able to drive home after a few pints even though they aren't and others think they can but it doesn't often work like that.

Recent examples are in papers last summer and 'off duty garda in pedestrian fatal collision' after 5 pints but still under limit. May well have been ok to drive but from what I remember is pedestrian was lying in the middle of the road which I have to say is more unacceptable.

Point is some people can handle a few pints and others can't and it probably needs more mass enforcing as opposed to lower limits as I'm sure most people who are involved in drink driving accidents are well above the 80mg/p litre never mind 50mg/p litre.

Irish government have to be seen to be taking more responsibility because their own people won't.

Let's face it, some people can easily mange a few pints and a drive home and others can't and unfortunately they all get tarred with the same brush because there's too many accidents and too many people ltaking the piss, excuse the pun.

I don't condone drink driving but some (maybe few) people can do it 'responsibly and most people can't hence the need for strict laws.

Duiske

littlejukka wrote: »

no. if you're going to drive, don't bother drinking at all.

According to this piece in the indo a couple of weeks back, just one drink could put you over the new limit. They should reduce the limit to zero and be done with it.

bazz26

Cannot see this "one drink being alright" thing myself. How many people go into a bar just to have one drink? Very few I would imagine.

worded

I drink a bottle of beer / half a pint rarely and drive approx once
every 2 months at the end of a long week.
- please dont generalise, not everyone is a piss head.

I just want to know am I legal with one bottle of beer really.
Rant some where else and if you don’t know don’t patronise.

BrandonBlock

I think ppl would be surprised how much you can actually drink at the moment anyway. Friend of mine drank 3 pints of heineken (in space of around 90mins -> 2 hrs) in a pub and faced a random breath testing checkpoint a few hundred yards from the pub but passed it. The gardai knew he had been drinking but couldn't do anything about it as he was under the limit.

pa990

according to the RSA, its due to be implemented in the 3rd quarter of 2008... but with leagal wrangling etc etc.. it'll probably be 2010/2011

Snarler

The limit is fine as it is, no need to change it. Its hard enough to go out to a restaurant and have a glass of wine as it is.

ciarsd

I dunno. Why bother having one drink if you have to drive afterwards? I don't see the loss by substituting this one glass for a soft-drink or juice.

If your out for a nice meal and fancy a glass of wine or whatever, whats another few quid on a taxi in comparison to the restaurant bill (particularly in city centre and surrounding areas).

Snarler

ciarsd wrote: »

I dunno. Why bother having one drink if you have to drive afterwards? I don't see the loss by substituting this one glass for a soft-drink or juice.

If your out for a nice meal and fancy a glass of wine or whatever, whats another few quid on a taxi in comparison to the restaurant bill (particularly in city centre and surrounding areas).

Because its nice to have a glass or two of wine with a meal. Why should I stop doing that if it doesn't effect my driving.

Tipsy Mac

The current limit is fine it simply needs to be be policed, there's only so many idiots in the country who drink and drive. A 3 month full clampdown would take them all off the road.

MagicMarker

Snarler wrote: »

Because its nice to have a glass or two of wine with a meal. Why should I stop doing that if it doesn't effect my driving.

I'd feel the effects of a glass or two of wine much more than i would a pint. Plus you'd probably be surprised what can effect your driving.

littlejukka

Snarler wrote: »

Because its nice to have a glass or two of wine with a meal. Why should I stop doing that if it doesn't effect my driving.

if you (and i'm speaking in general here) make the decision to have one glass, one pint, maybe two, then drive home and kill somebody on the way, you'll have to live with the fact that having a glass of water instead might have meant the difference between that person dying and living. even a fraction delay on hitting the brakes, or a slightly heavier right foot might make all the difference. it's not worth it, as far as i'm concerned.

worded wrote:

I just want to know am I legal with one bottle of beer really.
Rant some where else and if you don’t know don’t patronise.

Don't ask a question if you don't want an answer.

if you're only going to have one pint, you're realistically not going to consciously feel the effect of the alcohol that you would after several. if that's the case, then the comfort and social factor of the drink is the reason you're drinking it. why not have a becks 0% instead or an erdinger alkoholfrei? it will make no real difference to you, but risking other people's safety by skirting with assumptions about your alcohol levels is irresponsible.

littlejukka

MagicMarker wrote: »

I'd feel the effects of a glass or two of wine much more than i would a pint.

mid-level beers have around 1.5 units, a glass of wine can have up to 3 depending on the portion.

MagicMarker

My point exactly.

ciarsd

Snarler wrote: »

Because its nice to have a glass or two of wine with a meal. Why should I stop doing that if it doesn't effect my driving.

And you see there is the inherent issue with Irish drink drivers... Ah sure I'll just have a glass or two... three, four - sure I'm grand.:mad:

TwoShedsJackson

Snarler wrote: »

Because its nice to have a glass or two of wine with a meal. Why should I stop doing that if it doesn't effect my driving.

It does affect your driving, whether you feel it or not.

Snarler

It does affect your driving, whether you feel it or not.

Actually it doesnt. I'm always well below the legal limit when I drive and I feel 100%.

voxpop

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

It does affect your driving, whether you feel it or not.

And not having a good night sleep or a long day in the office affects your driving

Ciaran500

Snarler wrote: »

Actually it doesnt. I'm always well below the legal limit when I drive and I feel 100%.

Yes it does. http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/impaired.htm

Snarler

Ciaran500 wrote: »

Yes it does. http://alcoholism.about.com/od/dui/a/impaired.htm

I do not agree with that study so it doesn't.

Ciaran500

lol

Look up any study and they will give you the exact same results. You're not some super human with an immunity to alcohol, any amount of alcohol will affect your driving whether you can feel it or not.

NBar

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

The current limit is fine it simply needs to be be policed, there's only so many idiots in the country who drink and drive. A 3 month full clampdown would take them all off the road.

We have the second highest limit in Eurpoe and if you think its not being policed what about the people who know they are breaking the law and driving with drink taken, If this was policed for 3 months you can bet those who drink and drive would make different arrangements.

littlejukka

Snarler should have his license taken off him on the grounds of sheer stupidity.

leeroybrown

Duiske wrote: »

They should reduce the limit to zero and be done with it.

That wouldn't be sensible. While I have no issue with a very low limit designed to make drinking and driving legally *almost* impossible the system needs to allow for a sensible residual alcohol content in a persons breath/blood.

littlejukka

leeroybrown wrote: »

That wouldn't be sensible. While I have no issue with a very low limit designed to make drinking and driving legally *almost* impossible the system needs to allow for a sensible residual alcohol content in a persons breath/blood.

Zero +/- the discretion of the garda involved is sufficient.

leeroybrown

littlejukka wrote: »

Zero +/- the discretion of the garda involved is sufficient.

I would have to disagree quite strongly. While I have no issues with the Gardaí, I would have issues with placing a power of subjective adjudication in the hands of individuals in roadside situations regardless of the guidelines. It leaves too much room for the innocent getting prosecuted and the guilty being allowed to get off. I think that this type of subjective situation would present legal difficulties and court challenges. If you are referring to an informal non-legally binding discretion then it's a ridiculous suggestion.

In addition I believe that maintaining calibration of roadside testing equipment to a degree where it can accurately detect any alcohol without error would be extremely difficult.

I don't for a moment suggest that the described level need be high, just that it allow for accurate scientific decision making instead of a Garda having to decide to let someone go because they use alcohol based mouthwash.

littlejukka

leeroybrown wrote: »

I would have to disagree quite strongly. While I have no issues with the Gardaí, I would have issues with placing a power of subjective adjudication in the hands of individuals in roadside situations regardless of the guidelines. It leaves too much room for the innocent getting prosecuted and the guilty being allowed to get off. I think that this type of subjective situation would present legal difficulties and court challenges. If you are referring to an informal non-legally binding discretion then it's a ridiculous suggestion.

In addition I believe that maintaining calibration of roadside testing equipment to a degree where it can accurately detect any alcohol without error would be extremely difficult.

I don't for a moment suggest that the described level need be high, just that it allow for accurate scientific decision making instead of a Garda having to decide to let someone go because they use alcohol based mouthwash.

if any suspect roadside breath test is followed up by a scientific bloodtest back at the station, there would be very little room for error.

give people an inch (a half pint) and they'll take a mile (5 pints) and people die.

leeroybrown

littlejukka wrote: »

give people an inch (a half pint) and they'll take a mile (5 pints) and people die.

If the blood alcohol limit were such that drinking half a pint would put someone over the limit then anyone who still drank and drove could be safely classified as an idiot. The only way to stop an idiots is enforcement not an impractical zero tolerance limit.

In any event it's largely an academic discussion for the foreseeable future given that the VFI are still one of the most powerful and effective Dáil lobby groups.

I've said my last on this thread as we're unlikely to sway each other to the others viewpoint.

Snarler

littlejukka wrote: »

Snarler should have his license taken off him on the grounds of sheer stupidity.

Call me stupid if you have no point to make the simple fact is I am in the right.

E92

Snarler wrote: »

always well below the legal limit when I drive and I feel 100%.

The key word is feel here. What you feel and what is reality are completely different things. I feel that anyone who drinks and drives is a danger to our roads, no matter how small a drink it is. The evidence is there to prove it.

Our limit is high, by European standards.

I for once agree with the RSA, something does need to be done about our limit and the number of people drink driving.

IMO, the limit should be 0 mg/l. A lack of political balls is what is stopping it from happening. One of the popular myths is that things like cough bottles or other medication would put you above 0 mg/l for blood alcohol. Rubbish. Ask any doctor.

ednwireland

littlejukka wrote: »

if any suspect roadside breath test is followed up by a scientific bloodtest back at the station, there would be very little room for error.

give people an inch (a half pint) and they'll take a mile (5 pints) and people die.

the people that drink 5 pints and drive will do so whatever the limit is set at its one thing the authorities seem to forget, i regularly have one pint at the start of the night and softies the rest of the night by the time i drive i would guess most of the alcohol is out by then but being tired at that point my tiredness would affect my driving more
agree that proper enforcement of current law is the only way havent seen a guard out on the roads since random breath testing came in -- got tested on a mon. morning.

littlejukka

Snarler wrote: »

Call me stupid if you have no point to make the simple fact is I am in the right.

you contend that driving after 2 glasses of wine, you're still under the limit. there is no way you are right, unless you wait several hours before getting in the car.

Ciaran500

Snarler wrote: »

Call me stupid if you have no point to make the simple fact is I am in the right.

You're not right. Any amount of alcohol affects your driving whether you can perceive it or not.

zilog_jones

How many "non-alcoholic" beers would it take to go over the limit? Dunno about the others but Erdinger Alkoholfrei is still 0.5%.