Need to know
Gardai have Bank Holiday checkpoints across the country today, and if you went out for drinks last night, you might need to be careful if you get behind the wheel
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It’s been another busy bank holiday weekend across Ireland, and many people are enjoying an extra day off work today. If you were one of the many people out celebrating the start of summer with a couple of drinks last night, you may need to be careful if you need to get behind the wheel today.
- Revellers are being reminded of the dangers of driving the morning after drinking, as the morning after can be particularly dangerous. Gardai have been conducting several early-morning checkpoints across the country over the weekend. Roads Policing Units have a dedicated road traffic enforcement operation throughout the May Bank Holiday weekend, with a step-up of checkpoints from Thursday morning. If you choose to drive while over the limit, you risk a serious or fatal accident. And if you are caught, you’ll face fines of hundreds of euros and a driving ban.
- As of Sunday morning, 77 people were arrested for driving under the influence of an intoxicant over the bank holiday weekend so far.
- If you have been enjoying a few drinks this weekend, it’s important to know when it is safe to drive the morning after. According to Drinkaware, it takes at least one hour to process one standard drink. Examples of a standard drink are half a pint of beer, a 100ml glass of wine, or a standard measure of spirits.
- An average pint of beer equals two standard drinks. This means it will take your body two hours to process one pint.
- Drinkaware says time starts when the last drink is finished. For example, if a person finishes three pints of beer at midnight, they will have consumed six standard drinks. This means they need six hours from midnight when they stopped drinking before their body has processed the alcohol, and they should not get behind the wheel of a car until 6 a.m. at the earliest.
- Worried you could be over the limit? Here are some examples:
- 6 pints of lager/stout – Pints of Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg or another lager or stout are in and around 4.5%. If you have six, Drinkaware recommends you don’t drive for 12 hours after you finish your last drink. So if you head to bed at midnight, you can’t drive until noon the following day.
- 1 bottle of wine – According to Drinkaware, if you finish one bottle of red or white wine, you must stay off the road for eight hours afterwards.
- 8 gin and tonics – Drinking 8 gin and tonics would mean no driving for 8 hours after your final drink.
- 5 pints and 5 vodkas with mixers – A night of pub-to-clubbing could have you feeling particularly bad the next day, and it’s reflected in how long you have to stay off the road. According to Drinkaware, you will have to avoid driving for 15 hours after your last drink.
- Calculate your own:
- If you want to work it out yourself, Drinkaware has an online alcohol calculator tool that will tell you how long it will take to process the amount of drink you have, reports Cork Beo.
- Some of the numbers of drinks above are at very harmful levels. These figures above are estimated amounts. The only way to remove alcohol from your system is time; no amount of food or water will speed up the process, says Drinkaware. Binge drinking is defined as consuming 60 grams of pure alcohol – six or more standard drinks – in one sitting. This is the equivalent of three pints of cider (568ml), six bottles of lager (330ml) or four glasses of prosecco (150ml).
- If you want to reduce your alcohol consumption, change doesn’t have to be huge or overwhelming. Drinkaware is encouraging everyone to focus on changes that work for them, and if they find it difficult, to focus on why they are making the changes and what their motivations are.
- Drinkaware has some simple tips, including:
- If drinking at home, it can be as simple as choosing a smaller glass or using a measure.
- If drinking while you’re out at a pub or another venue, think about alternating each round with a glass of water.
- Think about choosing low or no-alcohol options at the bar.
- Set yourself a spending limit so that you can anticipate reducing your alcohol intake in advance.
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