Drink Driving Law & Defences

Drink driving alcohol limits are:

80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres in blood
35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres in breath
107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres in urine

If you are found guilty of drink driving, a period of disqualification for at least a year is a mandatory sentence. You may also receive a fine of up to £5,000 and a prison sentence of up to six months.

The police are only allowed to breath test a driver if they have grounds to believe an offence has been committed. In other words purely random breath testing is not allowed. The breath test at the side of the road gives the police officer the authority to arrest the driver if he is over the drink drive limit. The driver must then give a blood or urine test at the police station and certain procedures must be followed for the test to be valid. Refusing to give a blood or urine test is in itself an offence.

Drink driving is a serious social problem which results in many deaths each year. If you feel you may have grounds to contest a drink driving prosecution, you are strongly advised to consult a lawyer specializing in drink driving cases.