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One-in-seven would drink and drive if they felt ‘OK’

One-in-seven UK drivers would get behind the wheel to drive home after consuming alcoholic beverages if they thought they were “close to the limit.” This is according to a new study by breathalyser firm, AlcoSense. The survey of 2,000 drivers showed that 14% of motorists would drive home after drinking several alcoholic beverages if they considered themselves to be “just about OK.” Disturbingly, 7% said that they would get behind the wheel even if they thought they were “at the limit or just over.” Also, 24% said that they would feel comfortable driving home after drinking if they felt “sure” their blood alcohol level was below the legal limit.

The most popular excuse respondents gave for their proposed behaviour was that they only had to drive “a short distance” to get home, an excuse favoured by 48% of those who admitted they would get behind the wheel after drinking. Other excuses given were thinking there was only a small chance of getting caught drink-driving (43%) and thinking they were sober enough to drive (42%).

The study also showed that many drivers were unaware that it was risky to drive the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Almost 25% said they would get behind the wheel at 7:00 am, after a night of drinking even though there was a risk of alcohol remaining in their system.

AlcoSense noted that almost 20% of convictions for drink-driving are for motorists who drive in the morning after drinking during the previous night, and that police conduct about a third of breathalyser tests between 7:00 and 1:00 pm.

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