Motoring Discussion > Drinking while driving Legal Questions
Thread Author: Fursty Ferret Replies: 21
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 Thu 22 Mar 12 22:26 
 Drinking while driving - Fursty Ferret
Hypothetically, is it illegal to drink an alcoholic beverage while driving, provided it was insufficient to place you over the drink-drive limit?

Discussion in pub yesterday. I argue that it's not actually illegal, but if stopped the police would probably be able to get you on something else (for example, not in full control etc).

Thoughts? Any willing volunteers prepared to drive slowly past their local nick while sipping from a bottle of lager?
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 Thu 22 Mar 12 22:38 
 Drinking while driving - Roger.
Is it illegal to drink alcohol when driving an aeroplane?
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 Thu 22 Mar 12 22:43 
 Drinking while driving - Kevin
Only if plod pulls you over ;-)
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 Thu 22 Mar 12 23:01 
 Drinking while driving - Alastairw
As you say, not actually illegal, but plod would do you for driving without due care or some such, like the apple eaters and water swiggers described in the Daily Wail.
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 Thu 22 Mar 12 23:02 
 Drinking while driving - Robin O'Reliant
It's as illegal as it is to drink from a can of Coke whilst driving, should plod be able to convince a court that you were not in full control of the vehicle- which wouldn't be difficult.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 08:18 
 Drinking while driving - Fursty Ferret
>> Is it illegal to drink alcohol when driving an aeroplane?
>>

Only if they catch you.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:03 
 Drinking while driving - Runfer D'Hills
My dad had a car with a cocktail cabinet and fold down wood veneer trays with little chrome glass holders. Decanter and tumblers, the lot.

Can't help thinking that generation had a more relaxed attitude to things. I guess having survived 39-45 had a lot to do with that.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Fri 23 Mar 12 at 18:05
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:09 
 Drinking while driving - R.P.
There is no specific offence - some others could be cobbled about to fit though, such as Due Care etc.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:13 
 Drinking while driving - Runfer D'Hills
I am deeply against drink driving for very personal reasons but I also recognise that I'm also deeply up my own fundament on the subject. Admitting such disfunctionality is ok isn't it?

:-)
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 20:12 
 Drinking while driving - Armel Coussine
>> I am deeply against drink driving for very personal reasons but I also recognise that I'm also deeply up my own fundament on the subject. Admitting such disfunctionality is ok isn't it?

Not just OK Humph but correct, actually adult. Would that there were more like you.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:20 
 Drinking while driving - Old Navy
>> Can't help thinking that generation had a more relaxed attitude to things. I guess having
>> survived 39-45 had a lot to do with that.
>>

That little disagreement certainly puts a lot of the the Health and Safety nonsense and other petty jobsworths into perspective
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 19:43 
 Drinking while driving - Runfer D'Hills
@ Rolling Roadblock - May I ask what your previous forum "handle" was please? Clearly you've been around for a while but despite wracking what remains of my brain, I can't figure it out...

Ta v much...
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 20:09 
 Drinking while driving - Zero
He may have been under the sea....


Clearly not much of the brain left.....
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 23 Mar 12 at 20:09
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 20:44 
 Drinking while driving - Old Navy
>> He may have been under the sea....
>>

Well rumbled Z.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 19:23 
 Drinking while driving - Kevin
>My dad had a car with a cocktail cabinet and fold down wood veneer trays..

In the early 80s a friend of mine bought a Chevy Constantia that had been the Mayor of Cape Town's official motor. That car had a cocktail cabinet with all the trimmings. The feature that really clinched the deal for him though was that behind the armrest in the rear seat was an access door for a refrigerator mounted in the boot.

He had a bit of an alcohol problem and was arrested for drink driving, no mean feat in Namibia at the time.

He was also very self-conscious that he was losing his hair at an early age and would try any supposed remedy, no matter how ridiculous. One particular weekend he had another friend staying with him and they had run out of booze in the early hours of the morning - until he remembered the mixture of vodka and raw onions that he'd been massaging into his scalp :-+
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:29 
 Drinking while driving - Meldrew
Illegal if you are flying passengers for money and unwise at any time. 12 commercial pilots a year, on average, are found to be drunk, not by 100% testing but because they are so obviously under the influence when they report for duty. How many are legally drunk but are not detected is obviously unknown. Aircraft are piloted not driven!
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:33 
 Drinking while driving - MD
They can of course be driven into the ground.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 18:41 
 Drinking while driving - Meldrew
Yes -perhaps by a drunk pilot! >:)
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 19:05 
 Drinking while driving - Zero
Given that do everything themselves these days, they are operated, not piloted.
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 19:08 
 Drinking while driving - Meldrew
Supervised and monitored even, Zero
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 Fri 23 Mar 12 20:01 
 Drinking while driving - spamcan61
Guy in a RAV4 or similar on the two lane section of the M3 this morning causing considerable congestion by doing 50 in lane 1 swigging coffee from a cup. HGVs in line astern taking turns to ssslloooowwwwyyy overtake him.

pillock.

Just past the services as well.
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 Sat 24 Mar 12 00:04 
 Drinking while driving - Stuartli
The police will have little difficulty, based on previous court cases, of proving such offences. Even just turning your dipped headlights off in stationary traffic has seen a successful prosecution, even though the aim was not to dazzle the driver in front....:-)

It's usually down to a particular copper specialising in certain aspects of motoring law, such as lighting regulations.


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