Motorists face £2,500 fines this weekend for breaking key driving law – ‘Extremely worrying’
Thousands of drivers have been warned not to risk a £2,500 fine and even jail time as a major tournament gets underway this weekend.
The Six Nations rugby tournament kicked off last night with many drivers heading to Paris, Edinburgh and Dublin to watch the opening set of fixtures.
However, motorists have been warned to not break any driving laws along the way.
Drivers have been reminded to stick to drinking driving limits in place across the UK and Europe or they could face hefty penalties and potential jail time.
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The warning comes after research flagged that more than half (58 per cent) of drivers who drink drive thought they were under the legal limit.
Under UK law the drink driving alcohol limit for drivers is capped at 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood or 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
Rhydian Jones, motoring expert at Confused.com said: “As the Six Nations kicks off, rugby fans from across Europe will be heading to France, Scotland, and Ireland to watch the tournament. But as thousands of fans hit the road, they are being warned of any drink driving which could cause road safety risks.”
Research from the group found that one in three drivers who broke the drink driving rule did so because they didn’t have far to travel.
Jones warned that while the matches are a “fun time” to socialise, drink and celebrate, drivers should not be drinking if they are travelling from the games, “no matter how long the journey is”.
The warning also follows police forces recording more cases of drink driving across the UK with Surrey Police finding more than 1,000 cases during the festive period.
The force revealed that out of the 465 breath tests and 117 drug tests conducted, 53 arrests were made, 32 of which were for drug driving.
Jones stated that if drivers are planning to stay overnight and drive the next day, they should still be “mindful” of how much they are drinking as even with good night’s sleep, “you could still be over the limit”.
He stated: “It’s important to ensure that you’re travelling safely, so if you are drinking, don’t drive. Driving while under the influence of alcohol can put both yourself and other road users at risk. Our guide to what you need to know about drink driving should help with any confusion.”
Drivers who are found guilty of drink driving can be fined £2,500 and even face up to three months imprisonment, alongside a possible driving ban.
But anyone found to have caused death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol could face even more severe consequences, including jail time of up to 14 years.
Recent data by the AA Charitable Trust also revealed that drug-related driver deaths have surged by 50 per cent in a single year with the number of fatalities involving drivers under the influence of drugs up from 96 in 2022 to 144 in 2023.
Edmund King, Director of the AA Trust, said its message to drivers has always been, “if you are going to drive, don’t drink and if you are going to drink, don’t drive”, but has since adapted the messaging to include drugs.
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He added: “A startling 50 per cent increase in drivers killed under the influence of drugs is extremely worrying. We don’t want drivers to be in any doubt – drink, drugs and driving do not mix.”