Drink Drivers

[chris200]

Yes it's that time of year again when statistically most drink driving offences are committed.
"I got a wee bit carried away at the Christmas party"........"I was only driving a mile up the road"..........."I thought I was under the limit"......there are 101 excuses.
However, my point is this: how many convicted drink drivers continue to drive during their ban period without ever being detected? A friend is a police officer and she told me that it happens more than you would think. If the car is taxed, insured and MOT'd (if applicable) and not drawing attention to itself then there is no way for the Police to tell.
Is this problem as rife as it appears to be?

 

[st13phil]

Well, that's the tin of worms opened.

I have no idea whether it's either a problem or if it's rife.

I suspect that there are a very small number of hardcore p@ss artists who will continue to drive whilst under the influence, whether they're banned or not. I also suspect that there are a small number who will drive whilst banned - whether that ban was for DD or not - and apart from flouting their punishment, represent no more danger to other road users than anyone else.

 

[grober]

My impression is that the majority of people who continue to drive under the influence while banned are in fact alcoholics although they may not recognise it. Basically they can't stop drinking even if they wanted to. Without addressing the underlying pathology the likelihood of them committing further driving offences will remain very high.

 

[baxlin]

Slightly off topic, but still about DD, there was a piece on radio 5 this morning about drivers still being over the limit the morning after boozing. According to the "expert", that's a bigger problem than has previously been thought.

 

[chris200]

Apologies folks, I wasn't clear on my original post. I was referring specifically to convicted drink drivers who drive through their ban in a sober state rather than serve the ban. My curiosity was more to do with the number of people who actually do this rather than the rights or wrongs of the conviction or the continuance of drinking and driving.

 

[grober]

Have known quite a few people caught out this way. Especially at this time of year--- Office/ Christmas party--- a little over indulgence --- an ageing liver not so able to metabolise alcohol - extra police vigilance --------- OVER THE LIMIT---- next day going to work.:fail

 

[martyz]

Apologies folks, I wasn't clear on my original post. I was referring specifically to convicted drink drivers who drive through their ban in a sober state rather than serve the ban. My curiosity was more to do with the number of people who actually do this rather than the rights or wrongs of the conviction or the continuance of drinking and driving.

I have known of a few people that just don't care what the courts say or do and
have even driven home from court after receiving a ban.Some people just don't
abide by the law,so I guess driving whilst banned is quite a common occurrence.

 

[st13phil]

...about drivers still being over the limit the morning after boozing. According to the "expert", that's a bigger problem than has previously been thought.

I would have thought that the presence of residual alcohol in the body (i.e. that still present many hours after the last drink was taken) was pretty well understood by now? For example, pilots have for many years had the adage "no less than twelve hours from bottle to throttle" for exactly this reason.

What isn't perhaps so clear is whether the impairment level is equivalent for any given level of alcohol in the system. I seem to remember some research a couple of years back that suggested it was maybe lower many hours after imbibing where modest levels of alcohol were concerned, but I could be mistaken.

One thing is certain though: if you are in any doubt whatsoever as to whether you're impaired to drive, then don't.

 

[cinek]

Cant comment as I dont drink - full stop.

Personally, got no time whatsoever to anybody who drinks and drives!!
Mopping up enough of carnage each and every week, where a lot of it is caused by drunken drivers.

 

[chris200]

Cant comment as I dont drink - full stop.

.......so you did anyway!! lol

 

[E55BOF]

Does the ANPR system not flag up that a particular vehicle is registered to a banned driver? If not, why not?

 

[tonyc280]

My impression is that the majority of people who continue to drive under the influence while banned are in fact alcoholics although they may not recognise it. Basically they can't stop drinking even if they wanted to. Without addressing the underlying pathology the likelihood of them committing further driving offences will remain very high.

never a true a word spoken!!!

 

[cinek]

Does the ANPR system not flag up that a particular vehicle is registered to a banned driver? If not, why not?

Because potentially it is someone else driving it.
There are simply not enough resources to stop every vehicle that flags up red.

 

[Stratman]

....................................


I also suspect that there are a small number who will drive whilst banned - whether that ban was for DD or not - and apart from flouting their punishment, represent no more danger to other road users than anyone else.

Statistically some of them will be involved in an accident, an accident that wouldn't have happened had they observed their ban. Because they were driving while banned they won't have insurance, so those of us who do have insurance pay the bills.

 

[Rory]

It's possibly a bit of bull but a retired police officer we know told us they used to get lists of local banned drivers and they'd drive past their house and keep an eye on them.

However in most areas traffic police as a separate unit doesn't exist anymore and I'd be amazed if they still do anything like the above (if they ever did it).

Certainly a few years ago guy I knew through work got banned for 6mths under totting up and he continued to drive for the whole time, he'd have had no realistic way of getting to work otherwise.

These days I would think its entirely feasible they could x/ref the driver to cars he was RK of, and highlight those on ANPR - in fact I'd be amazed if that's not done. Of course you could easily swap the V5C into someone else's name to get around that.

 

[st13phil]

Statistically some of them will be involved in an accident, an accident that wouldn't have happened had they observed their ban. Because they were driving while banned they won't have insurance, so those of us who do have insurance pay the bills.

I understand that, but you are commenting on the potential consequences of them driving whilst disqualified if and when they have some sort of collision. I was making the point that the danger they represent to other road users by comparison to another (licensed) driver is probably not statistically significant.

For the avoidance of doubt, I'm not suggesting that a banned driver should drive whilst disqualified.

 

[artyman]

Is the punishment for driving whilst banned an insufficient deterrent, mostly it is a further ban, perhaps a month inside if caught driving whilst banned would focus minds a little more. The possibility of the loss of your job, house, marriage perhaps might make some think twice.

 

[Scott_F]

Duplicate post.

 

[Scott_F]

Certainly a few years ago guy I knew through work got banned for 6mths under totting up and he continued to drive for the whole time, he'd have had no realistic way of getting to work otherwise.

These days I would think its entirely feasible they could x/ref the driver to cars he was RK of, and highlight those on ANPR - in fact I'd be amazed if that's not done. Of course you could easily swap the V5C into someone else's name to get around that.

The roads are rife with people driving whilst disqualified.

If the car is registered to another (insured) person, is taxed, has a current MOT and is being driven sensibly then the chances of them being caught are almost nil and ANPR will be of no use whatsoever.

 

[theogeor]

Just to add few thoughts

To start with drink and driving is UNACCEPTABLE. Nobody should risk killing or injuring someone else whatever the reason or excuse is

Second been drunk the morning after requires a lot of effort.. Research shows that anybody who had moderate drinking the night before is fine the day after so you need to have been drinking heavily and non stop the night before to be over the limit... Human body on average process 1 unit of alcohol every 1h and that takes 1h from the time you start drinking... So it no excuse if you are over the limit 4-5h after you finished drinking...

Last but not least accept the punishment and obey it if you are caught.......Learn from it


Personally I do not drink and drive and take no risks... We share driving with wife an decide in advance who is going to drive. And even if I want to have a small drink to toast is always at the beginning and always restricted to 1 SINGLE small one and I do not even have the full glass not even half. I know is requires self control but is not difficult to do if you are mentally convinced yourself that this is the right thing to do.

On a recent trip to Europe with another 5 fellow 911 fellow drivers none of us had more than 1 drink the night before heading back from Stuttgart to the UK because all of us wanted to be full alert the day after.


Theo