New drink driving laws - 3 mth ban no more points

Tigger · 15-02-2017 01:49AM

eeguy wrote: »

ONE pint / glass of wine AND making a conscious decision to break the law. Just because you feel like you'll be grand to drive is no excuse to break the law.

well the law should matter upon whether ou were impaired
but asuming they have done their research and you are right they are impaired then i agree
the 2006 limit was me a 17 stone man allowed to drive after 5 pints
i always thought i was a bit to pissed after 5 pints to drive

there is an irish culture thing and a there is no real public transport thing to discuss but i rember neinf a lab manager and wondering if the staff didnt realise i knew thew were pissed coming in

Sam Quentin · 15-02-2017 01:58AM

Surely we all know at this stage and with all the research available etc etc that even just one drink can alter your train of thought, thinking, reflexes etc etc...... So what is the issue people seem to be having with these new laws? I actually thought that the 3 Month ban was from immediate effect after they drag you out of the car and knock some sense into you :mad: and then you wait for your court appearance to get a further 2 or 3 year ban.........

Tigger · 15-02-2017 01:59AM

Sam Quentin wrote: »

Surely we all know at this stage and with all the research available etc etc that even just one drink can alter your train of thought, thinking, reflexes etc etc...... So what is the issue people seem to be having with these new laws? I actually thought that the 3 Month ban was from immediate effect after they drag you out of the car and knock some sense into you :mad: and then you wait for your court appearance to get a further 2 or 3 year ban.........

its a culture think
change is hard

TGJD · 15-02-2017 02:03AM

wotzgoingon wrote: »

I was breathalysed one time and I hadn't drank in about two weeks guard asked me when I had a drink and I told him and he said you were drinking tonight as my level was up. I said I wasn't and he didn't believe me. Going by that I wouldn't want to even drink one pint and then drive as I would probably register as after drinking a few pints.

Smoking a short time before breath testing can cause a falsely elevated reading as the test picks up, as I recall, acetone from the smoke.

NIMAN · 15-02-2017 02:05AM

ABC101 wrote: »

It's not a case of needing that one pint.

It's a case of loosing ones job/ livelihood / career because you had ONE pint / glass of wine.

Such is the puritanical state Ireland is turning into.

Thats my point exactly.

It may be draconian to you, but if that the law and the risks, then why take the chance? You'd be mad to.

TGJD · 15-02-2017 02:07AM

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

I'd happily agree with you if you can tell me exactly how long I need to wait until I can drive.

A healthy liver processes a unit an hr. But you need to digest the drink first. So a pint of guiness which is approx 2.2 units would mean under a zero tolerance policy you couldn't drive for 3 hrs and 12 mins if assuming an hr for the guineas to pass through the stomach and small intestine.

Wowbagger · 15-02-2017 02:09AM

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Hopefully there's a public record of everyone done for drink driving, there was talk of this coming in too, name and shame will be good deterrent too.

I'm not sure about the naming/shaming, it's like a badge to some. I know one person that has 4 convictions and still chances it from time to time.

SeanW · 15-02-2017 02:10AM

Sam Quentin wrote: »

Surely we all know at this stage and with all the research available etc etc that even just one drink can alter your train of thought, thinking, reflexes etc etc...... So what is the issue people seem to be having with these new laws? I actually thought that the 3 Month ban was from immediate effect after they drag you out of the car and knock some sense into you :mad: and then you wait for your court appearance to get a further 2 or 3 year ban.........

Perhaps in theory, your reflexes CAN be altered etc, but the decision to drop the limits from 80mg to 50 was not backed by any history of people between those levels causing accidents. When you see a fatal accident in the news involving drink, the driver was usually twice or three times the limit, not between 50 and 80.

The same is true of the new laws on drug-driving. A zero-limit for THC is not backed by any credible science that I am aware of. I know of no research that indicates that cannabis is so corrosive to ones driving abilities that you have to stay off the road for up to one month after having indulged to prevent the resulting intoxication from making a driver more likely to cause an accident.

I'm not defending anyone who drives genuinely impaired - I just want restrictions to be based on evidence. I.E. hard evidence that - for example - people driving with 51mg / L of alcohol have a history of causing alcohol related crashes. Or that people who indulge in weed regularly kill people due to "intoxication" two weeks earlier.

Atlantic Dawn · 15-02-2017 02:16AM

Wowbagger wrote: »

I'm not sure about the naming/shaming, it's like a badge to some. I know one person that has 4 convictions and still chances it from time to time.

The scummers will continue to do it but those with any sense of community or good name would be deterred if they were named and shamed.

dodderangler · 15-02-2017 02:20AM

I've noticed in past year more and more people are driving home from local pub. In my estate it's huge. But no one wants t walk home at night so they drive. Even lads who own businesses or lads using company vehicles are driving home with them. For most it's a 45 second drive home as pub is in middle of the estate but them 45 seconds could cost ya your licence and job because Garda are getting wide to it and are always around the estate at night. But only on weekends and no one drives from pub on weekends. But during the week everyone seems to drive home. It's not worth it. Even if it is only 45 second drive.

ED E · 15-02-2017 02:27AM

Tigger wrote: »

well the law should matter upon whether ou were impaired

You can be impaired and still be ok (if not a learner etc).

Drink Driving Limits and Changes

What are the existing legal limits?

The legal limits for fully licenced drivers in Category B are:

50 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.05)
67 milligrammes (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or
22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
The legal limits for professional, learner and novice drivers are:

20 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood (0.02)
27 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine or
9 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath

Impairment starts ~ .03 so a "zero tolerance" policy would mean 0.2 for regular drivers and 0.00 for novices and those who drive for work.

Graces7 · 15-02-2017 04:59AM

ABC101 wrote: »

Remember it's a ban for being over a legal limit, not necessarily being drunk behind the wheel.

If the limit is reduced further, more drivers will fail the blood Alcohol test / breath test. The RSA would then complain at the number of drivers failing the test and demand that the limit be reduced further, which would mean more drivers fail the test and son on and on and on.

The RSA will never understand that the harder a test is to pass, the higher the failure rate.

Self driving cars need to come quick before the entire population gets banned.

Wondering how you think that will happen? We do not all drink.

Graces7 · 15-02-2017 05:01AM

drunkmonkey wrote: »

A long long way away, there will always need to be a coheriant pilot as a spare

When does Ireland get a public transport system to be proud of?[/QUOTE]

You mean that goes down every back lane in the country? That is impracticable.

darkpagandeath · 15-02-2017 05:07AM

Can someone explain to me why the likes of the USA drink diving is just a misdemeanour and only a felony after the 3rd. Europe tends to ban and convict on first offence. I think Drink driving is scummy btw.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 15-02-2017 09:57AM

Graces7 wrote: »

Wondering how you think that will happen? We do not all drink.

He wasn't being literal.

Ok, then 'until the entire drinking population is banned'

15-02-2017 10:12AM

If you're driving, don't drink. If you're drinking, don't drive. It's really that simple.
The limit was lowered to stop the whole "but I only had one, I can't be over the limit" bull****.

sbsquarepants · 15-02-2017 10:29AM

sdanseo wrote: »

You could just not drink and drive, then you'd have nothing to be worried about.

I think we're already at the point where the limit is so low it's skewing the statistics. The RSA get to say 50% or whatever of accidents involved "drunk drivers", something must be done, but in reality they didn't. It's an easy bogey man to point to with out having to face up to much harder problems to fix.
Drivers may have strayed over a very low threshold, but in a lot of cases it wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference. Speeding, poor roads and phones, I would guess are a much bigger cause of accidents, coupled with just good old fashioned bad drivers (it's a learned skill after all, some people are just not very good at it) - then in some of these cases the drivers also happen to be slightly over the limit.

The sort of shít head who's going to drive after 10 pints is still going to drive after 10 pints whether the limit is half a pint or 9 and a half pints.

sbsquarepants · 15-02-2017 10:35AM

dodderangler wrote: »

. Even if it is only 45 second drive.

What sort of lazy bastard drives for 45 seconds?:mad:

Don't Chute! · 15-02-2017 10:35AM

One fella saying we live in a puritanical country another fella saying if he doesn't have one drink he has no life! When are people in this country going to cop on and realise that drinking and driving just does not mix? At all.

Discodog · 15-02-2017 10:43AM

The hardcore of drink drivers will now say that, as they can banned for a pint, they might as well have 6.

I would impose 6 points & a fine on those within say 15% of the limit. But I would impose a 5 year ban on anyone that's double the limit.

There is supposed to be a new focus on catching drink drivers & yet the majority of checkpoints here are during the day.

Banana Republican · 15-02-2017 10:46AM

The penalty should be 6 points and a 3 month ban first time caught then a life ban after that and 10k euro fine. I'd be in favour of same for mobile phone use whilst driving.

emeldc · 15-02-2017 10:59AM

Tigger wrote: »

you burn off about half a unit an hour
so if you drink 6 pints in 5 hours from 7-12
you have ingested 12 units
so you are clea (carrying 0 units) by 7 pm the next day

what do you weigh so i can tell you how many units you can carry to be under the new limit

Where are you getting those figures from. 4 hours to burn off 1 single pint. I had 3 pints last night. By your reckoning I'm still pi$$ed.

ED E · 15-02-2017 11:06AM

emeldc wrote: »

Where are you getting those figures from. 4 hours to burn off 1 single pint. I had 3 pints last night. By your reckoning I'm still pi$$ed.

His post is unclear, 3 pinnts is 6 units. Six units is 12hrs. So 3 pints at 9PM will have a nonzero BAL result at 8AM.

sbsquarepants · 15-02-2017 11:17AM

Should be roughly 1 unit an hour shouldn't it? 4 pints, roughly 6 or 7 hours depending on what the pints were.

If you go out and have 4 or 5 pints, then get 7 hours sleep - I personally think it's very unfair to face a ban the following morning on your way to work.

If you have 7 or 8 pints and a few jaeger bombs and get 3 hours sleep - then you kind of deserve what's coming to you.

emeldc · 15-02-2017 11:17AM

ED E wrote: »

His post is unclear, 3 pinnts is 6 units. Six units is 12hrs. So 3 pints at 9PM will have a nonzero BAL result at 8AM.

I think he's doubled up on his figures. It's more like 1 unit p/h, not a half unit p/h.

uck51js9zml2yt · 15-02-2017 11:24AM

Its about time drink driving was tackled. Let's hope it gets passed into law.
An overhaul of motor tax and automatic seizures for no tax should be next. This thing of "selling" the car to a family member to avoid arrears is a joke!

BailMeOut · 15-02-2017 11:35AM

emeldc wrote: »

I think he's doubled up on his figures. It's more like 1 unit p/h, not a half unit p/h.

if you go out and have 4 units of alcohol at these times

1st at 8pm
2nd at 9pm
3rd at 10pm
4th at 11pm

By this calculation you are all clear after midnight?

Macy0161 · 15-02-2017 11:37AM

Iliana Crashing Easel wrote: »

Its about time drink driving was tackled. Let's hope it gets passed into law.
An overhaul of motor tax and automatic seizures for no tax should be next. This thing of "selling" the car to a family member to avoid arrears is a joke!

It's not being tackled by this measure. Without extra enforcement it's pointless.

The stats that they released the other week were that over 60% caught were more than double the limit, and 70% were under 44.

So it probably isn't the old rural pensioner having one pint and being barely over the limit.

And it also shows that a further reduction is pointless until general compliance with the existing law. Do the stats show what would be an improvement with a reduction to justify zero (or close to zero) tolerance?

sbsquarepants · 15-02-2017 11:44AM

Macy0161 wrote: »

It's not being tackled by this measure. Without extra enforcement it's pointless.

The stats that they released the other week were that over 60% caught were more than double the limit, and 70% were under 44.

Maybe someone with a bit more knowledge of the subject than myself can help me out here.

Am I right in thinking that at double the limit, you would be quite drunk?

It doesn't work as simply as if 1 pint puts you just about at the limit, 2 puts you at double. I take it you would need to drink a fair few pints to have double the limit in your blood for instance?

emeldc · 15-02-2017 11:47AM

BailMeOut wrote: »

if you go out and have 4 units of alcohol at these times

1st at 8pm
2nd at 9pm
3rd at 10pm
4th at 11pm

By this calculation you are all clear after midnight?

Possibly. It's not an exact science and I'm no expert. A unit of alcohol is a glass of beer (approx) so 2 pints (4 units) over four hours might leave you ok but is it worth the risk.

New drink driving laws - 3 mth ban no more points

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