Drink drug drive

The facts

It is not possible to say how much alcohol you can drink and stay below the limit. The way alcohol affects you depends on the type and amount of alcohol you’re drinking, what you’ve eaten recently, your stress levels at the time, your weight, height and so on. The same applies for legal and illegal drugs.

20% of all Greater Manchester fatal collisions were reported as involving drink/drug driving in 2018

The law

In England, the legal alcohol limit for drivers is:
35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath
80 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood
107 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine

It is also an offence to drive with any of 17 controlled drugs above a specified level in your blood – this includes illegal and medical drugs.

The consequences

There are strict penalties if you are convicted of drink or drug driving, including a minimum 12 month driving ban, a hefty fine and up to 6 months in prison.

There are also everyday consequences, such as increase in car insurance costs, job loss and the shame of having a criminal record.

So, if you’re driving, it’s better to have none for the road.