Ah, you pipped me to it on the avalability Peter but I'll post my effort anyway...
dcbwhaley wrote:
malcolmw wrote:
Surely it must be reasonable for a citizen to be able to buy a machine to evaluate breath alcohol level to establish if they are under or over the limit. Am I right in thinking that such devices are not allowed to be sold on the grounds that it would encourage drinking right up to the limit irrespective of impairment?
Which makes as much sense as not allowing speedometers on cars because it encourages driving up to the speed limit.
I think you're stretching the like-for-like to the unalike there I’m affriad. There is a correlation between the amount of alcohol in your blood which doesn’t exist when it comes to speed killing.
Even the law recognises that putting different limits for different situations should apply, (albeit absurdly so). I don’t think anyone, even a traf pol with the blues and twos going, would get away with being drunk like they can and do with speeding and, my old favorite, insurance companies agree with me
So those are my quick reasons for disagreeing although I’m sure there are more.
When I used to drink during the week I would only do so up to about 10:30 p.m. and only if I was not driving early the next morning in my work duties. Also, I wouldn’t drive to my work in the morning; I would always jog to my work base or cycle along the canal.
I do feel a little sorry for those caught just over the limit the next day in so much as they are not deliberately trying to flout the law by getting back from the pub knowingly having had too much. I think many drivers honestly don’t realise that you can still be over the next day.
There are many breath testers on the market for the public now,
as a quick Google shows. Some are not that expensive and boast ‘police like’ accuracy. So if someone is going to make a habit of it, it’s a small investment for some peace of mind. Personally, if I had one, I would err on the side of anything it showed remotely close to the limit being too close for comfort to drive. Better a taxi for one night than for the next 365 days…
As an aside, and I know I stand to be shot down in flames for it, but lowering the limit is likely to hit an already flagging pub trade. (Somewhere about 40 a week closing?).