Beware! The Christmas Drink Driving Crackdown Starts… Now!
It’s that time of year again. The time when you spend too much, drink even more and end up hugging your best friends outside a takeaway at two in the morning.
Yes, it’s Christmas, which brings a rise in arrests due to the annual crackdown on drink driving.
However, at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk we’ve compiled a list of tips to keep you safe and out of trouble this Christmas and if you’re caught, hold on to your driving licence.
It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Christmas brings out the best in all of us. We smile a little more. We try a little harder with friends and colleagues and we put on funny Christmas jumpers with Father Christmas’ legs sticking out of a chimney.
However, if you do have a few too many this year, don’t be like the 5,500 people who were stopped in December 2017, just follow our guide to make sure you resist the temptation to get behind the wheel.
Make sure you:
- Download a taxi app onto your phone. They’re easy to use and they’ll pick you up in no time!
- Leave your car keys at home or in work
- Organise for a friend or family member to pick you up at a specified time (and maybe treat them if it’s late!)
- Book a hotel room if you’re far from home or staying out late
- Pace yourself, drink water between drinks, eat a meal and snack throughout the evening, staying aware will make you think more rationally, and
- Make sure your phone battery is fully charged before going out. If you’re separated from your friends, don’t have a designated driver or have money to get a taxi or transport home, ring somebody to pick you up. DON’T head back to the office for your keys.
It’s fun to have a few more cocktails than usual, walk around town wearing tinsel like some kind of outrageous sparkly, feather boa and sing along to Christmas songs when we enter pubs and bars. Sometimes we enjoy ourselves too much, but hey, as long as you follow our hints and tips, you’ll get home safe and sound.
However…
Christmas Lights
If you drink and drive, the only lights you’ll see this year are the flashing blue lights of a police car. And even if you decided to get a taxi home, it doesn’t mean you’re okay to jump in a vehicle to fetch a bottle of milk from the shops the next day.
Depending on the amount you’ve drunk, alcohol can stay in your system well into the following day, and if you’ve partaken in any illegal narcotics, they can remain in your bloodstream for weeks.
All of which means that what you might consider a quick visit to the supermarket the morning after might lead to a lengthy driving ban because you’ll still be over the limit.
Put simply:
If you’re going to have a drink, please don’t drive – even the next day.
However, if you do have a few and the police stop you, you’ll be attending court, so you’re going to need expert support and advice – that’s where we, Millar’s Solicitors at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk, come in.
Blue Christmas
If you’re arrested for drink driving, there’s a risk of losing your licence. And you don’t even need to be in charge of the vehicle to be stopped, you could:
- Be sleeping in your car after a night out
- Getting your belongings from your vehicle, or
- Have the engine running while under the influence with no intention to drive
Yep, all of the above are arrestable offences.
So, if Christmas has taken a wrong turn, before you do anything else, follow this piece of advice:
Don’t plead guilty until we’ve reviewed your case.
Why?
Because we’ll analyse the police report and check:
- The fitness of your breath, blood and urine reading
- The rate at which you’d have metabolised the alcohol
- The accuracy of the reading
- Police technical and procedural errors
- Factual circumstances relating to the offence
- Mitigating circumstances
- Expert evidence, and
- Whether you had intended to take control of the vehicle while still unfit
Whether driving or sitting with the engine on, an arrest doesn’t always result in the loss of your licence.
Merry Christmas, Everyone
All of us at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk want you to have a fantastic Christmas. Pop on a party hat and enjoy a glass or two, but not at the expense of your life – or that of an innocent bystander.
If you need our advice, call us on 0800 999 5535 or fill in the contact form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great Christmas, drink sensibly and don’t let one moment spoil your future.
It’s that time of year again. The time when you spend too much, drink even more and end up hugging your best friends outside a takeaway at two in the morning.
Yes, it’s Christmas, which brings a rise in arrests due to the annual crackdown on drink driving.
However, at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk we’ve compiled a list of tips to keep you safe and out of trouble this Christmas and if you’re caught, hold on to your driving licence.
It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Christmas brings out the best in all of us. We smile a little more. We try a little harder with friends and colleagues and we put on funny Christmas jumpers with Father Christmas’ legs sticking out of a chimney.
However, if you do have a few too many this year, don’t be like the 5,500 people who were stopped in December 2017, just follow our guide to make sure you resist the temptation to get behind the wheel.
Make sure you:
- Download a taxi app onto your phone. They’re easy to use and they’ll pick you up in no time!
- Leave your car keys at home or in work
- Organise for a friend or family member to pick you up at a specified time (and maybe treat them if it’s late!)
- Book a hotel room if you’re far from home or staying out late
- Pace yourself, drink water between drinks, eat a meal and snack throughout the evening, staying aware will make you think more rationally, and
- Make sure your phone battery is fully charged before going out. If you’re separated from your friends, don’t have a designated driver or have money to get a taxi or transport home, ring somebody to pick you up. DON’T head back to the office for your keys.
It’s fun to have a few more cocktails than usual, walk around town wearing tinsel like some kind of outrageous sparkly, feather boa and sing along to Christmas songs when we enter pubs and bars. Sometimes we enjoy ourselves too much, but hey, as long as you follow our hints and tips, you’ll get home safe and sound.
However…
Christmas Lights
If you drink and drive, the only lights you’ll see this year are the flashing blue lights of a police car. And even if you decided to get a taxi home, it doesn’t mean you’re okay to jump in a vehicle to fetch a bottle of milk from the shops the next day.
Depending on the amount you’ve drunk, alcohol can stay in your system well into the following day, and if you’ve partaken in any illegal narcotics, they can remain in your bloodstream for weeks.
All of which means that what you might consider a quick visit to the supermarket the morning after might lead to a lengthy driving ban because you’ll still be over the limit.
Put simply:
If you’re going to have a drink, please don’t drive – even the next day.
However, if you do have a few and the police stop you, you’ll be attending court, so you’re going to need expert support and advice – that’s where we, Millar’s Solicitors at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk, come in.
Blue Christmas
If you’re arrested for drink driving, there’s a risk of losing your licence. And you don’t even need to be in charge of the vehicle to be stopped, you could:
- Be sleeping in your car after a night out
- Getting your belongings from your vehicle, or
- Have the engine running while under the influence with no intention to drive
Yep, all of the above are arrestable offences.
So, if Christmas has taken a wrong turn, before you do anything else, follow this piece of advice:
Don’t plead guilty until we’ve reviewed your case.
Why?
Because we’ll analyse the police report and check:
- The fitness of your breath, blood and urine reading
- The rate at which you’d have metabolised the alcohol
- The accuracy of the reading
- Police technical and procedural errors
- Factual circumstances relating to the offence
- Mitigating circumstances
- Expert evidence, and
- Whether you had intended to take control of the vehicle while still unfit
Whether driving or sitting with the engine on, an arrest doesn’t always result in the loss of your licence.
Merry Christmas, Everyone
All of us at www.KeepMyDrivingLicence.co.uk want you to have a fantastic Christmas. Pop on a party hat and enjoy a glass or two, but not at the expense of your life – or that of an innocent bystander.
If you need our advice, call us on 0800 999 5535 or fill in the contact form below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
Have a great Christmas, drink sensibly and don’t let one moment spoil your future.
To speak to us please call or use the form below to get in touch:
Your Solicitor
You can contact us by phone on:
0800 999 5535
or it is out of office hours you can call us on:
07368 667989
24 hours a day
If you would prefer to send us a confidential email you can use the form below or direct to Carl Millar on carl.millar@millarssolicitors.co.uk
Millars Solicitors Ltd
Millars Solicitors Ltd is a company registered in England & Wales (Co. Reg. No. 08808519).
REGISTERED OFFICE: Woodside, Billinge End Road, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6QB.
HEAD OFFICE: 76 KING STREET, MANCHESTER, M2 4NH
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