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Would you drink a beer or a glass of wine at dinner and drive home afterwards?

redcup342

Been wondering about this one.

In Germany,The Netherlands and Belgium it really common people will have 1 small beer, a glass of Wine or a large Radler (Shandy) when out and then drive home afterwards.

However in many Eastern EU Countries it seems it's not common at all since the penalties are so heavy (5000 złoty fine for between 0.2 and 0.5 and Jail time over 0.5) in Poland for example.

Czech Republic has zero tolerance.

I myself don't really like the fizzy drink options, not a big tea fan and hate paying for water so I'd usually go for a beer with dinner if its outside on a hot day or a glass of wine if its a good steak.

So what do you think ?
Should we have zero tolerance or is it ok to have a beer or a glass of wine and then drive home afterwards?

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Comments

Gregor Samsa

If I'm driving, or there's a possibility I'll be driving later on, I just don't drink. I just find it easier to stay off it than be wondering if I'm OK to legally drive, even though I might feel perfectly fine to dive myself.

Gregor Samsa

_Brian wrote: »

Glass of beer or wine, yep.
Only along with a dinner and I’d be having coffee afterwards.

This is just a general comment, not directed at all at you (you're only talking about a glass with a meal, so your chances over being over the limit are very low), but coffee doesn't do anything to lower your intoxication or the amount of alcohol detectable in your blood. Sure, you may feel less tired, but that's only a part of the equation (it does nothing for the cognitive impairment that comes with intoxication), and not a factor if you're breathalysed.

aido79

In Kerry people have elected a guy who thinks eating the meal might have as much effect on your driving as drinking the glass of wine or pint of beer.

https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/amp.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/dont-eat-and-drive-danny-healyrae-compares-eating-a-big-meal-to-drinkdriving-35725513.html

bennya

Not to say there isn't inherent risk in having one drink and then driving, but as mentioned above, mobile phone usage, tiredness etc. are as much an impairment (if not more) to safe driving.

What would happen if there were checkpoints testing for adequate alertness, and a young parent on their way to work following a rough night with a sick child gets pulled?

I'm lucky in that my employer allows WFH and I've often made the call to do so after such nights where the entire house hasn't got much sleep. Others aren't so fortunate as to have the option.

Where do we draw the line as far as criminalising people?

CiniO

I would and I do regularly.
Having one pint of Guinness doesn't put me over 50mg limit (I'm 16 stone) so I'm more than happy to be able to have one and still drive back home.

That's thing which I only started doing in Ireland, as in Poland I wasn't able, as even one pint would put me above strict 20mg limit there.

CiniO

It's funny as well, what we've seen in paper headlines saying: "Half a pint will get you a driving ban now".
I would really like to see how tiny and thin must be a person who after drinking half a pint of beer be over 50mg limit.
Also articles were very misleading, as nothing changed regards the law about drink driving and limits.
Only those caught being over the limit in range between 50mg and 80mg for the first time were supposed to get fine and penalty points while now it's a ban anyway.

tcawley29

I think if that zero tolerance thing comes in that there will be more people driving at night.

We all know its the mornings the gardai are out to shoot fish in a barrel.

You really do have to feel bad for people who try their best and do everything right the night before (taxi, food etc) and get caught the next morning.

Whatever about people living in a town with adequate public transport but what about the people in rural areas, are they just supposed to give up having a social life?

Really there should be some sort of road side test for the driver's ability to be functional rather than a breathalyzer. Sure they may have alcohol on their breath but they may not be drunk. Their reaction times may be negatively affected but even then they could still potentially have better reactions than a sober person.

Everyone is different and a blanket breathalyzer limit could easily put someone sober over the limit despite their current sobriety level.

CiniO

tcawley29 wrote: »

Really there should be some sort of road side test for the driver's ability to be functional rather than a breathalyzer. Sure they may have alcohol on their breath but they may not be drunk. Their reaction times may be negatively affected but even then they could still potentially have better reactions than a sober person.

Everyone is different and a blanket breathalyzer limit could easily put someone sober over the limit despite their current sobriety level.

I fully disagree with that.
Alcohol concentration in your blood is perfect measure.
No roadside test to prove you're functional can be more accurate than blood concentration limit (or equivalent breath or urine sample).

IMO 50mg alcohol per 100ml blood limit is very reasonable.
If someone is above that in the morning, then definitely they shouldn't be driving and if caught should be prosecuted.

I'm not sure though if removing the fine and points for first offence when within 80mg was a good move, but whatever.

Henry Ford III

Not anymore. There was a time however....

MonsterCookie

If driving home, I used to tell myself one or two was ok with food. But to be honest I find as I get a little older it has more of an affect on me (tired more than pissed) so I don’t drive with any alcohol taken now.

Non alcoholic beers are a decent alternative if I feel like a beer with a meal.

Henry Ford III

MonsterCookie wrote: »

...Non alcoholic beers are a decent alternative if I feel like a beer with a meal.

N/a Erdinger is pretty decent.

Colser

No..I'm one of those people who knows even after one glass of wine that I'm after alcohol as it seems to kick in straight away so I definitely wouldn't drive,also I hate just having one so I prefer to just pay for a taxi and enjoy a few hours out even if it's just for a meal or stick to water if I have to drive.

oceanman

yeah id have a drink with a meal and drive no problem.

SeaFields

Yes. I have often had a bottle of beer while watching a match and then gone for food and home. If I wanted the second bottle Mrs Seafields would come in and collect me.

drunkmonkey

Had a 350ml bottle of beer with lunch today, could have probably drank a keg and still be fine to drive biggest burger I've ever been served.
Thumbs up to the Hungry Moose..

Surreptitious

No I wouldn't as even one drink affects me but then I'm female. It's just better to stick to Lucozade or water.

[Deleted User]

I work shifts and I can tell you straight away it's vastly more dangerous driving home 72 Kms after each and every night shift than having a few beers, guaranteed !

The whole drink driving thing has gone out of control.

Driving while intoxicated is dangerous, driving with 2 pints is far less dangerous than driving after a night shift or someone stuck at 60 Km/h in the over-taking lane of a motorway texting.

No common sense any more, people will abuse this of course but the same with the law makers, they just want to pain a picture that everyone who has a drink or two then drives is bad and should be locked up.

What if the person crashed and killed someone driving home after 2 pints ? to be honest that's far more likely to happen if someone is texting while driving.

There's no simple answer, of course common sense doesn't prevaia in our Nanny state, we're treated like Children and can't even buy alcohol after 10 PM ffs like living with your Parents again, you can't do this, you can't do that

Ireland is a Nanny state, can't even raise our Children without state interfering and telling us what we should do and not do, F off and let me do what I want.

1984 is heading that way rapidly and everyone is turning a blind eye !

kirving

Yes, more alcohol = more dangerous. But it's not quite as simple as that.

One pint, in laboratory conditions may have an effect on reaction times. Out on the road though, any effect would be utterly lost in the noise and in my opinion has almost zero effect on driving competany.

It could even be argued that for low levels of alcohol, the normal complacency the driver has behind the wheel is lessened. Doubt you'll get a politician outside Kerry to argue that however.

Radio, phone handsfree, tiredness, sun in your eyes, rain, someone tailgating, a child in the back, traffic, road conditions, car conditions all affect your driving whether your like it or not. A minimal level of alcohol is undetectable amongst the other factors.

It's interesting that the FAA set the level for pilots responsible for hundreds of lives at 0.04%, while a professional driver here is half that. I wonder who did more research, the FAA or the RSA?

http://www.airspacedoc.com/alcohol-the-pilot-and-the-faa/

I've no issues with laws, if they're based off facts and data, and not made up at the whim of a politician, as many of ours are.

badtoro

Nothing alcoholic if I'm driving, I don't know what the limits are in practical terms and it affects different people to different degrees. I need my transport so I won't risk losing my licence.

drunkmonkey

Why are we never told what are the most dangerous cars on the road. We've the safest cars taxed out of most people's budgets yet a Punto with a 0 Ncap rating is cheap as chips. Tax the Punto and Kia rio to oblivion and give incentives to buy Volvo's.

freshpopcorn

To be honest I don't really drink anymore but I might have done in the past.
I'd love to see the stats of how many people have being killed seriously injured because of somebody driving home after one pint.
They are two cases featured a bit in the news to guilt people into not drink driving. These people were multiple times over the limit and one had cocaine on his system these can't be compared to people who have just one pint in my opinion.

freshpopcorn

drunkmonkey wrote: »

Why are we never told what are the most dangerous cars on the road. We've the safest cars taxed out of most people's budgets yet a Punto with a 0 Ncap rating is cheap as chips. Tax the Punto and Kia rio to oblivion and give incentives to buy Volvo's.

It's very easy to look up ncap test results if you want. It's not like they are a secret.
Lots of cars now are looking out on crash test stars mainly because they aren't fitted with pre accident safety equipment as standard.
Take the current Micra 4 stars without the safety pack and 5 with.

drunkmonkey

freshpopcorn wrote: »

It's very easy to look up ncap test results if you want. It's not like they are a secret.
Lots of cars now are looking out on crash test stars mainly because they aren't fitted with pre accident safety equipment as standard.
Take the current Micra 4 stars without the safety pack and 5 with.

I mean real world results from the Gardaì, why don't they release the top 10 cars your likely to be killed or seriously injured in every year.

Tefral

Id have a pint when ordering my dinner. By the time the starter and dinner are eaten its nearly 2 hours gone.

I'm also 185cm and weigh 100 kilos so id be grand!

freshpopcorn

drunkmonkey wrote: »

I mean real world results from the Gardaì, why don't they release the top 10 cars your likely to be killed or seriously injured in every year.

I think that would be kind of hard to be honest. A car can be safe in the event of a crash but if that drive speeds, doesn't wear a seat belt or wear it incorrectly, etc safe cars could end up on the list.

JPCN1

Would have had a pint after a game of golf with a sandwich but the ego that is Lord Ross has banned that for his own publicity imo. So won't bother now.

drunkmonkey

freshpopcorn wrote: »

I think that would be kind of hard to be honest. A car can be safe in the event of a crash but if that drive speeds, doesn't wear a seat belt or wear it incorrectly, etc safe cars could end up on the list.

Fair enough point but they tell us nothing, there's never stats behind the stats they trot out.
For example you could be over the drink driving limit but that didn't kill you it was the Punto's crap safety.
There quick to blame drink driving but never back it up with anything.

There could be 50 road deaths attributed to a certain car this year but we'll never know.

TheRiverman

No.

[Deleted User]

The whole point is that Nanny state is taking over our lives, what next, all televisions must be off by 10 PM in case we don't get enough sleep because poor sleep is bad for us ?

Or No Energy drinks because they might kill you ?

Where does it stop ?

drunkmonkey

JPCN1 wrote: »

Would have had a pint after a game of golf with a sandwich but the ego that is Lord Ross has banned that for his own publicity imo. So won't bother now.

How many checkpoints have you met going home from golf, I thought they'd be everywhere over the summer haven't seen 1.