6th July 2023
While most people know the risks of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol, the sobering truth is that drink-driving continues to be one of the biggest killers on our roads.
Alcohol slows down our brain’s processing speed resulting in delayed reactions, affects our vision, as well as decreases our ability to concentrate, maintain focus and make rational judgements.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland | Scotland
Level of alcohol:
Micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath – 35 | 22
Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood – 80 | 50
Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine – 107 | 67
UK drink-driving penalties
You could be imprisoned, banned from driving and face a fine if you’re found guilty of drink-driving. Find out more about the penalties here.
To ensure you don’t drink and drive on a night out, arrange within your group of friends who’s going to be the designated driver who will abstain from alcohol. If you live somewhere with good public transport links – take advantage of them. If you’re planning on staying out beyond the last train, tube or bus, make sure you’ve got a couple of taxi numbers. If you have no option but to drive, stick to zero alcohol beers, mocktails or standard soft drinks.
Just because you’ve been to sleep, it doesn’t mean you’re no longer affected by alcohol. Alcohol is removed from the blood at the rate of about one unit an hour – but this varies from person to person. According to the NHS, the speed at which your body processes alcohol can depend on your size, gender, age, the state of your liver, your metabolism, how much food you have eaten, the type and strength of the alcohol you’ve consumed and whether you’re taking medication. There’s nothing you can do to speed up the rate alcohol leaves your system. Having a cup of coffee or a cold shower won’t do anything at all to get rid of the alcohol. They may make you feel slightly different, but they won’t eliminate the alcohol in any way.