Support and Advice > FAQ about Drinking and Driving
FAQ about Drinking and Driving
| Frequently Asked Questions about Drinking and Driving |
| |
| |
| In the UK the drink driving limit is:
35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; or
80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; or
107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine. |
| |
| |
| The legal drink drive limit cannot be safely converted into a certain number of units, as it depends on a number of factors to include gender, body mass and how quickly your body absorbs alcohol into the blood stream. It is therefore best not to drink any alcohol before driving. |
| |
| |
| No, drinking coffee or having a cold shower will not sober you up as this does not remove alcohol from your blood stream. |
| |
| |
| On average it takes one hour for a healthy liver to process one unit of alcohol. However, it does depend on your body mass, gender and how much food you have consumed. Even if you feel fine after drinking heavily in the evening there is still a high possibility that you will be above the legal limit should you drive the following morning. |
| |
| |
| One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol. |
| |
| |
| A unit of alcohol is measured by the size (ml) and strength (% alcohol by volume or ABV) of the drink. |
| |
| The following is a guideline: |
| |
Wine | ABV | Small Glass
125ml | Standard Glass
175ml | | | | 12% | 1.5 units | 2.1 Units | | | | 14% | 1.75 units | 2.45 Units | | Beer | ABV | Half Pint | 330 ml Bottle | 1 Pint | | | 3% | 1 Unit | | 2 Units | | | 4% | 1.1 Units | | 2.2 Units | | | 5% | 1.4 Units | 1.7 Units | 2.8 Units | Spirits | ABV | Single Shot
25ml | Double Shot
50 ml | | | | 40% | 1 Unit | 2 Units | | | Port | 20% | 0.5 Unit | 1 Unit | | |
