“I’ve only had one” most common excuse for drink driving
Woman driving a car. Free public domain CC0 photo.
A study has found that saying “I have only had one” is the most common excuse for people drink driving with almost two thirds of people having used this excuse.
Other common justifications are claiming that food will “soak up the alcohol” with nearly half of people involved in the survey saying they have used this.
People also say they can drive if they are only driving a short distance with 40% of people using this excuse.
“It’s been a while” since their last drink is the third most common with 31% of people saying this.
During the Christmas season there are often more police on the road because people are tempted to drink drive more.
Director of the AA Edmund King says:
“During the Christmas season there is more temptation for people to drink drive because they maybe have less responsibilities as usual.
“They will often have some time off work and will have a drink at a friends house and will use these excuses to justify their driving.”
He continues:
“Just one drink can be enough to put you over the drink-drive limit, and even if you are within the limit, it can still affect your judgment and ability to drive safely.
“We need drivers to hang up these excuses for good. Drinking and driving simply do not mix – if you are doing one, then you shouldn’t do the other.
“Drivers risk more than just a fine or losing their licence when they drink-drive. Every year hundreds of people needlessly die on our roads because of drunk drivers.
“Everyone wants to enjoy Christmas. Don’t let your ‘only one’ drink be your last.”
Justina Murray the Chief Executive Officer of Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs says that she has seen lots of cases of families affected by drink driving.
She gives us examples such as:
“A parent who drove with her child and a friend in the car, and when challenged she said “ I only had a small bottle of prosecco””
“Grandparents whose daughter had lost her licence and the daughter didn’t see what she had done wrong, as she said she had only had a couple of bottles of lager when in fact she had crashed the car with her child in it.”
“In the two examples they shared, the family members we are supporting have described situations involving drink driving where their loved ones are clearly minimising the impact of their drinking.”
