Drinks at night - driving next day

stoneill

It's the season for meeting up and having a few drinkies!

So.... in the absence of an exact science, at what time should you ease up on the pints if you know that you will have to drive at 1pm the following day?

Tabnabs

Nice try copper!

Bunny Colvin

stoneill wrote: »

It's the season for meeting up and having a few drinkies!

So.... in the absence of an exact science, at what time should you ease up on the pints if you know that you will have to drive at 1pm the following day?

It completely depends on how much alcohol you've put into your system. You could stop drinking at 11pm and still be over the limit if you'd been drinking for most of the day.
It takes roughly two hours to burn off one pint. Look at it that way and you won't be far wrong.

phester28

but you start counting when you start drinking. (15 min after would be a safer start time)

bpmurray

It's not exact since it depends on your metabolism. However a general rule of thumb is to allow 2 hours per pint. As an example, consider starting drinking at 8pm and you consume 6 pints. That would be 6 x 2 = 12 hours after 8pm which is 8am.

You can work it out for different drinks on https://www.drinkaware.ie/tools-resources/drinks-calculator

bpmurray

bpmurray wrote: »

It's not exact since it depends on your metabolism. However a general rule of thumb is to allow 2 hours per pint. As an example, consider starting drinking at 8pm and you consume 6 pints. That would be 6 x 2 = 12 hours after 8pm which is 8am.

You can work it out for different drinks on https://www.drinkaware.ie/tools-resources/drinks-calculator

Also need to remember the limit isn't zero so can knock of 2 hours for that.

I know the science says its two hours per drink but I've seen people pass a breath test on a number of occasions when they would be very far from meeting these 2 hours per pint rules. So the reality is it's very hard to know without testing yourself.

wrangler

Paris Deep Cartoon wrote: »

Also need to remember the limit isn't zero so can knock of 2 hours for that.

I know the science says its two hours per drink but I've seen people pass a breath test on a number of occasions when they would be very far from meeting these 2 hours per pint rules. So the reality is it's very hard to know without testing yourself.

I see the breathalysers for sale in shops now, I think I saw €40, you couldn't really be without it

Auguste Comte

For the price of a couple of pints one of these might help make a good decision.

Dravokivich

Auguste Comte wrote: »

For the price of a couple of pints one of these might help make a good decision.

I dont see the point in them. Just dont drink if you plan on driving the next day. Ain't a hard thing to go by.

Emmersonn

Auguste Comte wrote: »

For the price of a couple of pints one of these might help make a good decision.

One of these is even better value.

NIMAN

I'm not being a Healy Rae here and advocating drinking and driving, but I listened to the radio advert they have on to tell you about accidents being caused by drinking the night before, and I immediately thought that it's not statistically a big issue.

They say something like 11% of (Fatal?) accidents that occur between 7am and 11am involve drink.

So that means that 89% don't. And some of the 11% could be people that were drinking up to 7am and on the way home from a party, so not the target audience for the warning, who are people who have a skinful up to say 2am then go to bed.

There are probably also stats for the accidents between 2pm and 6pm that involve alcohol too. Maybe they are a bigger percentage than 11%?

Anyway folks, never drink and drive. It's not worth it. And if you are drinking to 2 or 3am, have a bit of cop on, you'll not be grand to take the kids to school in the morning.

Pops_20

I picked up one of those digital display breathalysers from Micks Garage last Christmas. I think everyone should keep one in the car.

Plenty times I've felt fine to drive but now I check and I'm still a little bit over the limit. They're probably not 100 % accurate but they're a good indicator as to whether you still have alcohol in the system.

ELM327

Dravokivich wrote: »

I dont see the point in them. Just dont drink if you plan on driving the next day. Ain't a hard thing to go by.

That's a little harsh, is that really the way we're going!?

whippet

I need my license for work and life in general so I tend to be very risk adverse when it comes to driving the day after.

I'm not a booze hound so when I do go out I tend to only have 2-3 pints and home in bed by midnight so no problem there. However, if there is a session on the cards I will alway make sure that I have no reason to have to drive anywhere the next day - the hand full of times a year that it might happen it's not that difficult to make arrangements not to have to drive.

mix of a hangover, late night, fatigue and the chance of excess blood alcohol levels is not a good mix to be on the road for anyone

Dravokivich

ELM327 wrote: »

That's a little harsh, is that really the way we're going!?

It's not harsh at all. If you need to use something like that, because you're unsure if you're fit to drive in the first place, you need to think about why you are using such a thing.

ELM327

Dravokivich wrote: »

It's not harsh at all. If you need to use something like that, because you're unsure if you're fit to drive in the first place, you need to think about why you are using such a thing.

I have no question, beyond legality, about being fit to drive the next morning.
Going to the pub, having 8-10 beers and coming home at closing - say 1130.
I should be well able to drive to work the next morning, leaving the house at say 730 am. I have done in the past without a second thought - as have most of the country I'm sure - but it's only now with the increased talk about reduced limits that I'm even questioning it

But whatever about driving to work in the morning, writing the whole day off for a few pints the day before is insane

charlietheminxx

I have always been really careful with driving the day after a night out or heavy-ish drinking, but I think it's a bit strange to say not to do it at all. Have you never gone to stay with friends where drinking was involved and you've had to drive the next day? Or an event?

Auguste Comte

Dravokivich wrote: »

I dont see the point in them. Just dont drink if you plan on driving the next day. Ain't a hard thing to go by.

You could use it to test the high horse.

Dravokivich

ELM327 wrote: »

I have no question, beyond legality, about being fit to drive the next morning.
Going to the pub, having 8-10 beers and coming home at closing - say 1130.
I should be well able to drive to work the next morning, leaving the house at say 730 am. I have done in the past without a second thought - as have most of the country I'm sure - but it's only now with the increased talk about reduced limits that I'm even questioning it

But whatever about driving to work in the morning, writing the whole day off for a few pints the day before is insane

8 to 10 is not a few.

charlietheminxx wrote: »

I have always been really careful with driving the day after a night out or heavy-ish drinking, but I think it's a bit strange to say not to do it at all. Have you never gone to stay with friends where drinking was involved and you've had to drive the next day? Or an event?

I don't recall ever having to drink. But as it so happens, I regularly have to drive. So that kinda trumps things.

Auguste Comte wrote: »

You could use it to test the high horse.

I'd rather take my chances pissing into the wind.

jimgoose

Dravokivich wrote: »

It's not harsh at all. If you need to use something like that, because you're unsure if you're fit to drive in the first place, you need to think about why you are using such a thing.

I use one, I've already thought about why. I don't normally need it, my way would be five or six pints of lager of an evening after work, home to dinner and bed around eleven. But on occasion, when I feel that I need to, I'll use it just to keep from inadvertently committing a criminal offence.

ELM327

Dravokivich wrote: »

8 to 10 is not a few.



I don't recall ever having to drink. But as it so happens, I regularly have to drive. So that kinda trumps things.



I'd rather take my chances pissing into the wind.

8 to 10 is a good 4-6 hour session in the pub.

Starting at say 8 pm. 12 hours later you should be ok to drive! Not to mention 24!

u140acro3xs7dm

Dravokivich wrote: »

It's not harsh at all. If you need to use something like that, because you're unsure if you're fit to drive in the first place, you need to think about why you are using such a thing.

If you had of asked me yesterday if I needed the car today, I would have said no. Then twice today I had to make unexpected trips that required the car. I wasn't drinking yesterday, but if I was, a breathalyser would have let me know if I was fit to drive or not.

Apart from commuting to work, a lot of my trips in the car are spur of the moment, picking people up, trips to the chemist's, doctors or vets, or maybe I've ran out of milk, bread or butter. I wouldn't knowingly drink and drive, but I'm sure I have inadvertently driven with alcohol in the system. One of these devices will stop me doing it.

Padre_Pio

bpmurray wrote: »

It's not exact since it depends on your metabolism. However a general rule of thumb is to allow 2 hours per pint. As an example, consider starting drinking at 8pm and you consume 6 pints. That would be 6 x 2 = 12 hours after 8pm which is 8am.

You can work it out for different drinks on https://www.drinkaware.ie/tools-resources/drinks-calculator

That doesn't make sense.

If i had 2 between 8 and 12, and 4 drinks in a nightclub between 12 and 3am, I could be over the limit by 8am the following morning.

whippet

Melania Square Choke wrote: »

Apart from commuting to work, a lot of my trips in the car are spur of the moment, picking people up, trips to the chemist's, doctors or vets, or maybe I've ran out of milk, bread or butter. I wouldn't knowingly drink and drive, but I'm sure I have inadvertently driven with alcohol in the system. One of these devices will stop me doing it.

how often do you make an unscheduled trip to the docs, vets or chemist - usually if these trips are unscheduled it's due to a problem and generally you might want someone to accompany you.

I suppose its a mindset - on the occasion where I will be going on a session I like to eliminate in advance the need to use the car the next day. If I did have to make a 'urgent' trip to the chemist I might give a taxi a call

wassie

Whilst those cheap semi-conductor breathalyser units will indicate the presence of alcohol, the actual measurement/analysis of alcohol in your system is not accurate enough to be relied upon for legal driving purposes.

If you want a device to provide accurate results, it should be an electrochemical 'fuel' cell type and generally the personal models start from €100 upwards. These units will generally be calibrated and independently certified by a recognised testing laboratory/agency. You simply wont get that with some cheap chinese unit on ebay or Amazon, even if its advertised as "Police grade" or similar.

Police Forces around the western world only rely on fuel cell sensor type breathalyser units.

u140acro3xs7dm

whippet wrote: »

how often do you make an unscheduled trip to the docs, vets or chemist - usually if these trips are unscheduled it's due to a problem and generally you might want someone to accompany you.

I suppose its a mindset - on the occasion where I will be going on a session I like to eliminate in advance the need to use the car the next day. If I did have to make a 'urgent' trip to the chemist I might give a taxi a call

I generally don't, but twice this week I've had to go to the vet and chemist at the drop of a hat - I used those as examples as they are fresh in my mind. If i used my breathalyser and was over the limit, I'd ring a taxi.

I don't see how you can argue against people having breathalysers.

kirving

Dravokivich wrote: »

It's not harsh at all. If you need to use something like that, because you're unsure if you're fit to drive in the first place, you need to think about why you are using such a thing.

Usual sanctimonious talk we hear whenever drink driving is discussed.

People are completely right to use breathalysers without having to justify their lifestyle as is implied here.

The limit has been reduced so far below reasonable levels that a pilot in the US is allowed to have double the amount of alcohol in their system as an N or Professional driver here.

In the EU, the limits are the same for pilots and drivers at (0.02%), but something tells me that flying a plane and driving a car are a little different.

Yes, drunk driving kills, but there is a world of difference between driving after 10 pints and wrapping your car around a tree, and being put off the road for being at 0.021% the following morning after a good nights sleep.

BlackandGreen

I'm more bothered by those drager drug testers.
Imagine 48 hours after you had a pint, you got breathalyzed and done for being over the limit.

Well thats the kind of fear you have to have when it comes to smoking weed, which wears off after ~2 hours to baseline. But those drug breathalyzers can read positive for several days after you last smoked.

wassie

Except ones legal and the other ain't.

BlackandGreen

wassie wrote: »

Except ones legal and the other ain't.

That's not the issue. You're not being done for the act of smoking weed. You're being done for being under the influence of weed, when you're clearly not.

wassie

I take your point and don't really have issue with anyone wanting to chill with an 'organic' spliff.

But with very potent hydro and nasty synthetic versions of the drug now readily available, then I don't have issue with testing and you can't differentiate between them unfortunately.

Dravokivich

Dravokivich wrote: »

I dont see the point in them. Just dont drink if you plan on driving the next day. Ain't a hard thing to go by.

Totally impractical suggestion. Anyone who likes to go for regular pints, especially mid week can’t be expected to do without driving the next day. I’d say I’d have had less than a 10th of the number of nights out I’ve had since I started driving if I didn’t get on with it and drive the next morning.

This whole situation is gone beyond a joke when a man can’t go out for a few pints and drive the next day and it’s all just hot air making zero difference to safety similar to this bull about 30km over the speed limit.

Anyone who thinks it’s practical to do with it the car the day after drinking does very little drinking /has very few nights out.

wassie

I'm surprised that the brewers have not copped on to the fact that there is no a market for reduced/low alcohol versions on tap of their products. Im not just talking about the overpriced bottled 0% sh!te currently on offer from a couple of mainstream suppliers.

Australia cracked down heavily on drink driving in the 90's and its interesting to see that its beer market has matured a lot over the last 2 decades. All beers there are generally sold as 'full strength' or 'mid-strength'. I was amazed in that in most pubs you could get a massive range of beers on tap between the 2.5-3.8% alcohol range. Some were lower alcohol versions of full strength, others were unique brews in their own right. Was a right mix of main-stream and craft brewers.

Meant I could have a few pints after work there and was a hell of a lot less wobbly on the walk home, as well as being grand the next morning.

seagull

Paris Deep Cartoon wrote: »

Totally impractical suggestion. Anyone who likes to go for regular pints, especially mid week can’t be expected to do without driving the next day. I’d say I’d have had less than a 10th of the number of nights out I’ve had since I started driving if I didn’t get on with it and drive the next morning.

This whole situation is gone beyond a joke when a man can’t go out for a few pints and drive the next day and it’s all just hot air making zero difference to safety similar to this bull about 30km over the speed limit.

Anyone who thinks it’s practical to do with it the car the day after drinking does very little drinking /has very few nights out.

A few would be up to 3 or 4, so you can go out for a few pints and drive the next day. You can't go for a serious session and drive the next day. Are people incapable of enjoying a night out without serious amounts of alchohol? And it's not just hot air about driving the next day. The way some people drink, they're probably still not fit to drive a full day after the session wraps up.

biko

There is one answer - driving next day = don't drink.
There won't be speculation that people might consider actual advice and get themselves or others in trouble.