Fifth of motorists take a major risk the night before driving early the next day
Road safety charity IAM RoadSmart, which commissioned a poll of 1,072 licence holders, warned that drinking alcohol the night before getting behind the wheel can pose a 'serious threat' because a 'groggy head' means slower reaction times.
The study also indicated that two in five people who have consumed several alcoholic drinks ahead of driving before 9am stopped drinking after 9pm.
Charity Drinkaware states that alcohol is removed from the body at a rate of one unit per hour, although this varies depending on a person's weight, liver health and metabolism speed.
Around three large glasses of wine or three pints of high-strength beer or cider is the equivalent of nine units.
Someone consuming those drinks up to 10pm could still have alcohol in their body at 7am or later, IAM RoadSmart warned.
Some 21% of motorists admit they have drunk alcohol after 10pm knowing they need to drive before 9am the following morning when they could still be over the legal limit
Nicholas Lyes, the charity's director of policy and standards, said: 'Drink-driving is a killer, and drivers may be unwittingly getting into their vehicle in the morning unaware that they could be doing so illegally if they have been drinking alcohol the night before, posing a serious threat to the safety of others.
'Even if they are just inside the legal limit, the level of alcohol in their system will impair their reaction times.
'Moreover, consuming alcohol impacts on sleep quality.'
Chief Constable Jo Shiner, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for roads policing, said: 'There is simply no excuse for getting behind the wheel when you are impaired through drink or drugs, and this includes the morning after.
'If you choose to do so you are putting your life and the lives of others at risk.'
The survey also suggested nearly a third (31 per cent) of drivers in the previous 12 months had been with a friend or relative who drank alcohol before getting into a vehicle.
Some 72 per cent of this group warned them they should not drive, while a quarter said they took no action.
Four out of five people polled said rehabilitation courses should become mandatory for anyone convicted of a drink-drive offence.
Currently the courses are sometimes offered in return for a shorter driving ban.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency statistics previously obtained by the PA news agency revealed 27,837 British motorists were convicted of drink-driving multiple times in the 11 years to July 20 2024.
Some 372 were caught at least four times, including four who were prosecuted on seven occasions.
Latest Department for Transport (DfT) figures show an estimated 300 people were killed in crashes on Britain's roads involving at least one driver over the legal alcohol limit in 2022.
That was up from 260 the previous year and was the highest total since 2009 when 380 deaths were recorded.
Separate figures show there are more drink drive-related casualties in July than any other month of the year.
The drink-drive limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
Nowhere else in Europe has a limit above 50mg/100ml.
The Scottish Government reduced its limit to that level in 2014.
Earlier this week, This is Money exclusively revealed that the worst drink driver caught in Britain in the last decade was six and a half times over the legal limit.
The 39-year-old male was reprimanded last July having provided a blood-alcohol reading of 513mg/dL (milligrams per decilitre) - this is equivalent of a 13-stone male consuming 22 pints of beer.
Having this level of alcohol in the blood is considered 'potentially fatal' by medical experts.
Kansas State University says readings higher than 400mg/dL can 'depress respiration to the point where it's not sufficient to sustain life', while those above 450mg/dL are 'often associated with coma and death'.
Commenting on IAM RoadSmart's findings, a DfT spokesperson said: 'We take road safety extremely seriously, and there are already strict penalties in place for those who are caught drink-driving, with rehabilitation courses offered to those convicted and banned from driving for over a year.
'While we don't have plans to mandate these courses, we are committed to improving road safety, and our Think! campaign will next week launch its summer drink-drive activity, timed to coincide with the National Police Chiefs' Council's Operation Spotlight.'
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