Drink driving – I discussed this yesterday. But it seems there is a lot more out there on road traffic accidents and the effects of drink related driving…
In the run up to Christmas the BBC have reported that the current drink driving limit is to be reviewed by legal experts following a recent move to lower the current limit, and laws are to be tightened on driving under the influence of narcotics (source).
The current drink driving limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or the equivalent of roughly (and by roughly we mean very roughly – this should not be used as a guide and is a very broad comparative spectrum!) two pints of ordinary strength a beer for a man. An independent research report is to be conducted by Sir Peter North and will be presented to the Transport Secretary Lord Adonis before April 2010.
According to the report, there is growing public concern over the driving under the influence of narcotics and there is support for lowering the drink drive limit to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, coming at the launch of the government’s £1.2m anti-drink-drive campaign for Christmas.
According to a Sky news report, the mother of a 22 year old Sam Matkin who was killed across Christmas in 2006 by a drunk driver is calling for a zero limit for alcohol consumption for drivers (source). The report goes on to say that the offender, Njabulo Nyathi who was three times over the legal limit, was so drunk that he failed to notice ‘No Entry’ signs as he drove at speed on the London-bound AS13 on the wrong side of the carriageway!
The victim’s sister saw the Nigerian national driving at speed down the wrong side of the carriageway in his 4×4 and attempted to warn her brother who was travelling some distance behind. Unfortunately the warning was not received and the 4×4 collided head on with Sam’s Ford Fiesta; Sam’s mother has stated that “he never had a chance…”
Njabulo Nyathi thereafter claimed no knowledge of the incident but eventually pleaded guilty to causing death buy dangerous driving at the last minute before a trial was set to take place, and was sentenced to five years imprisonment and a five year driving ban which started alongside the imprisonment. Not a sentence which reflects the severity of the crime, particularly as according to the report the offender is already on day release and will more than likely be out by next summer.
And just as Police are taking their first steps towards the campaign for drink-driving, the mirror.co.uk has reported that a policewoman was recently arrested for turning up to work still drunk form the night before (source)! Not the best of starts… She allegedly was unable to recall driving to work that morning and has got away lightly with a 20 month driving ban and a £905 fine.
So the effects of driving under the influence of alcohol are clear. So the message here is simple; don’t drink and drive! But, according to a report in The Sun, it’s not just the beer and wine we have to watch out for! According to a report a mince pie with brandy butter contains almost one unit of alcohol! Insurers have been reportedly highlighting that the units in food are often “hidden” as people do not take them in to account. The report goes on to say that Christmas cake with rum sauce contains one and a half units, and a portion of Christmas pudding with the same sauce can actually contain more than two units ((source)!
So if Joe Bloggs has a single small glass of Sherry and a slice of Christmas cake, it’s possible he will be over the limit without even realising! Best to take more care over Christmas.
In a slightly off the drink-driving topic article from the mirror.co.uk, women called Lauren are more likely to have accidents when behind the wheel of a car, according to insurers statistics (source). So if our name is Lauren and you enjoy a drink over Christmas, I’d think twice before getting behind the wheel of your car…
If you have been involved in a road traffic accident that wasn’t your fault, seek advice form an expert independent personal injury solicitor today, and find out where you stand.
And remember: do NOT drink and driver over Christmas… or ever in fact!
