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Injury

Personal Injury Solicitors

Victims of accidents caused by an intoxicated driver have the right to bring a drunk driving accident claim for compensation for their injuries and other damages. Our qualified solicitors specialise in personal injury compensation claims and are all members of the Law Society panel of personal injury experts. We deal with claims on a no win no fee basis. Win or lose there is no charge and compensation is paid in full. You do not have to finance your claim in any respect. Contact us today for free legal advice about a drunk driving accident claim. Simply phone us on our helpline or complete the contact form on this website.

Determining Whether a Driver is Intoxicated

In the United Kingdom, laws set forth specific measurements for determining whether or not a driver is intoxicated. A driver who exceeds any of these limits is considered to be drunk driving and is subject to severe penalties.

• the blood alcohol limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood
• for urine tests, the limit is 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of urine
• for breathalyzer tests, the legal limit is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 milliliters of breath

Requirements for Administering a Breathalyzer Test

One way for a police officer to determine whether a driver is intoxicated is to require the driver to take a breathalyzer test. Any individual who is driving, attempting to drive or who is in control of a motor vehicle on a highway, road or any public place is subject to being stopped and tested. However, there are specific requirements that must be met in order for a police officer to make a suspected drunk driver take the test. First, the office must be on duty and wearing a uniform. Then one of the following three circumstances must be present :-

• The police officer has reasonable cause to believe that either a moving traffic offence has been committed or a moving traffic offence is about to be committed.
• The police officer has reasonable cause to suspect that the individual operating the vehicle has been consuming alcohol.
• The police officer has reasonable cause to believe that the individual operating the vehicle has been involved in an accident.

Dangers of Drinking and Driving

Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol is dangerous for a number of reasons. Driving skills are greatly diminished because the alcohol impairs vision, slows reaction time and lessens a person's ability to make sound judgments. Also, the driver's eyes will be less sensitive to red lights, such as traffic signals and brake lights. Drunk drivers are less focused on the road and less able to recognize potential dangers. All of these factors combine to make a drunk driver much more likely to be involved in an accident and hurt themselves or someone else.

Penalties for Drinking and Driving

Those who drink and drive are subject to both civil and criminal penalties. If a drunk driver injures another person, they can be held liable with a personal injury compensation claim. Criminal sanctions for drunk driving are serious as well. First-time offenders can have their licence revoked, be sent to jail and/or fined an amount up to £5,000. A drunk driver who has committed their second offence within a period of 10 years faces a three-year revocation of their licence, the same penalty applies to offenders with a blood alcohol level exceeding 200 milligrams.