Safe Speed Forums

Aside from the law used periodically to prosecute people for swigging from a bottle of pop at the wheel, is there a law that prohibits drinking alcohol WHILE driving?

Clearly in moderation!

Just curious.

in certain countries (Canada being one i think) it is illegal to have an open container of alcohol in the car at all

I suspect in the UK if a copper saw a driver swigging from a can of Stella, he would administer a breath test, and if that proved negative, do him for not being in proper control of the vehicle.

I don't think it's a major problem in this country, through

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

isn't there a problem with alchohol in the mouth if you test too soon after drinking??

Normally you're ask when you last had a drink, if you tell them you just had one they wait 20 mins before they will give you a breath test.

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Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

I'm intrigued as to why anyone would ask this question? Is it something you have observed, or something you would be keen to do, or just idle curiosity?

(my bold)

certainly fits in with the 'wilder' driving ideas!

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

This was not done on the one occasion (many years ago) when I was breathalysed, and if done routinely would surely waste a lot of police time.

Perhaps BiBs could clarify.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

I wasn't planning to try it, Handy, I assure you, I was just interested to know what it was covered by.

I am also aware of the delay needed between consuming alcohol and being breathalysed. This is because a breathalyser is (I think) measuring alcohol in the blood being emitted via the lungs rather than residual alchohol in the mouth or throat.

I think we're in the 'using a mobile/eating a sandwich/ slugging Stolichnaya' territory here...all no-no's

Oh, and for B-Cyclist; smoking a fag/driving a car...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

The times I have been stopped and brethalised (occupational hazard of working nights) I have been asked how long since I had a drink. Come to think of it they never asked how long since I had had a drink of alcohol.

An uncle of mine once had to wait the 20 mins, somehow he passed the breath test after waiting.

Glad you popped that one in. I do know that glancing at the speedo is WAY more distracting than hunting round for cigarettes, selecting one, lighting it, smoking it and getting rid of the ash, then disposing of the butt.

Drinking and driving - notice the HC only refers to driving , whilst it does distinguish between cyclists,motorcyclists. As a point of interest is there any limitation on cycling over the limit ?. Interested because in the summer we regularly see groups of teenagers ,can in hand on the road ,on bukes,and quite often passed by a police vehicle.

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

"Drunk in charge..." covers it, doesn't it, and you'd have to be "drunk" rather than over the drink driving limit.

I once tried to ride home from a student bar in an advanced state of inebriation (through West London ). I gave up riding, as this proved impossible, and eventually had to give up walking my bike, as I kept falling over and/or dropping it, so I locked it to a lamppost and returned for it the next day. Needless to say, I couldn't remember its exact location , and had to retrace my journey.

Of course it is.
But experience teaches us when and where it's safe to allow distractions, and when and where it's not.
We don't always have that choice when it comes to glancing at the speedo.
And what kind of driver would you rather (or rather not) encounter?
One who isn't aware of the exact speed they're doing, down to the nearest mph, or one whose unsatisfied craving for nicotine makes them want to rip someone's head off?

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Only when ideology, prejudice and dogma are set aside does the truth emerge - Kepler

I knew one lorry driver a while ago who used to take one of those little bottles of wine out to drink with his lunch. He'd park up, get his bread and pate or whatever and open his wine, then sit there for an hour and enjoy his break. Jolly civilised. I've been known to have a bottle of nice beer with my lunch on occasion. You just need to be a bit careful not to select the proper dizzy water.
I wouldn't have a beer while actually driving, though - I think Plod might see this as taking the piss!

Abso-bloody-lutely Pete - a neat example of biochemistry at work! Another one is the body's reaction to being clad in Lycra and wearing a sperm-hat - thus stopping you seeing red traffic lights or white lane markers and completely destroying your responsibility for lane or junction discipline. But then, when you use a road vehicle for which you do not need to contribute in any way to the upkeep of the roads or have insurance against incidents with other road users, you really must be above the Law...

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

Is your MGB old enough to qualify for free road tax?
For the record, I ride a bike every day (I'm just about to now to get to work). I don't run red lights, not unless it's 3 or 4 am and even then only if there's no one around. I do have road sense and lane discipline - when I get off the bike I climb into the cab of an artic - and I do contribute to the upkeep of the roads, in that I have a car and I pay my council tax. I don't contribute to the deterioration of the roads (not until I get into the truck anyway ) and I don't consider myself above the law. Admittedly, I don't have insurance, but it's quite hard to find for cyclists and I'd be interested in any pointers as to where I can get it. Feel free to PM me anyone.

In that case, me old mucker, you are firmly in the minority. It does give me hope in meeting a cyclist who would be prepared to ride with insurance at least. If most of the cyclists I see each morning were driving cars, it would be like driving in Baghdad...!

My MG is not tax-exempt and has contributed the equivalent of over £5000 to the 'Road Fund'.

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Aquila



Licat volare si super tergum aquila volat...

I don't like inconsiderate and dangerous cyclists either. They give us all a bad name, and they don't half irritate me when I'm in the lorry! The main reason I don't run red lights is because I know just how much it annoys drivers.

I think you'll find that a lot of cyclists have 3rd party insurance. It comes with either your CTC or British Cycling Federation Silver or Gold membership. My club, for one, will not take anyone without insurance. Given that there's well over a million uninsured ***** DRIVING MOTOR VEHICLES on our roads why you feel threatened by a few uninsured cyclists is anyone's guess. Anyway, due to all these plonkers on the roads I also feel obliged to have fully comprehensive insurance as do most other cyclists that I know.