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**Guest** · December 30, 2010, 02:12 AM

DUI

OMG!!!!!

Are you in the US where they do those roadside ability tests?

This is absolutely insane. Over here you would have had a breathalyser quite rightly slapped on you, and be now in a police cell.

7 or 8 drinkings I'm assuming to be around 1- 2 units per drink?So we are talking somewhere between 10 and 20 units. The limit in the UK is 6 for a male(I think 3-4 for women(and that depends upon the person)).

I crashed my car with a reading equivalent to 6 units(3 drinks) in my system and before that was definitely not steering straight. I hit an oncoming vehicle and in swerving away to minimise impact I turned my car over. I was lucky to crawl out alive and lucky the children in the other car were not hurt. It was terrible. I always said drink drivers should be shot, I'd never do it then I did do it that one morning after drinking the night before. As soon as I stopped screaming(the actual accident was awful it all happened so quickly I then realised the gravity of what happened. The police came and despite my injuries(I was in shock) they could smell the drink and treated me like a criminal(because I was). I was passing out on the checkin desk which they put down to drunkeness. In truth it was because I had a head injury. They took a proper reading then threw me into a cell until the AL was out of my system. My car insurer would not pay out for me because if you are under the influence MOST insurance policies are invalid although they paid for the other car I hit. When I went to court I was so ashamed and I got a ?360 fine plus 16 month ban which was the minimum for my reading. I took the drink drive course at a cost of 3 days off work and ?150 reducing the ban to 12 months. I also lost my car obviously worth ?1000 at the time and had to pay for it to be towed and scrapped - about ?200. You also have to tell your employer and any professional organisation you are a member of and you may be struck off or expelled as a result. It's also a criminal record in this country so they have my DNA, finger prints, photo and full description. I have my licence back now but am still paying around ?400 per year extra on my insurance as a result. I also cannot hire a car for about 5-6 years from the conviction -so if I have break down or crash or go on holiday I'm stumped. The endorsement stays on your licence for 11 years, but only affects insurance for a maximum 6 years. I estimate that my drink drive will end up costing me ?5000 in the long run and that was with a very cheap car - both the scrapped one as well as the one I replaced it with to try keep the insurance low. If I had a more expensive car then the costs would be running towards ?10k.

I also obviously cannot apply for a job requiring clean licence either.

Anyone says that DD get off lightly with a few hundred pounds fine does not know the full story, but it's fair enough because it's a very dangerou thing to do. It's imprinted on my brain for ever. I don't even go near the car if I've had a drink, and for the next 24 hours(it's an offence to even approach your vehicle under the influence here).

If you hurt anyone as a result of DUI in this country you face a jail sentence too. I was very, very lucky.

Please do not drive under the influence again - none for the road. I only drunk drove once because I always avoided it.

But for the Grace of God.

**anon** · December 30, 2010, 03:29 AM

DUI

UK very well written! How awful for you but you are so right that drunk driving is always a crime and many of us have got away with with it.
The releif of being able to drive always sober is wonderful.
Long may you remain sober

**Guest** · December 30, 2010, 03:51 AM

DUI

anon;1030991 wrote: UK very well written! How awful for you but you are so right that drunk driving is always a crime and many of us have got away with with it.
The releif of being able to drive always sober is wonderful.
Long may you remain sober

Thanks.

It's not just a crime, like stealing or fraud. You are at VERY high risk of killing someone and I almost did - myself included. Not very cool at all. If you think you can drive ok after a drink you are very much mistaken. Cars are killing machines, a tonne of metal and rubber going at speed. It's been shown that even 1 drink(meaning 1 unit) can affect your accuracy behind the wheel so don't do it.

FULL STOP.

**greeneyes** · December 30, 2010, 06:54 AM

DUI

This is quite worth a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=Z2mf8DtWWd8[/video]]YouTube - TAC Campaign - 20 year Anniversary retrospective montage "Everybody Hurts" music by REM TV ad

**Guest** · December 30, 2010, 08:04 AM

DUI

That's a very good film, but I do suspect a lot of folk think it won't happen to them. Because they will be ok, they are a good driver and have been ok in the past. On the morning I decided to break my rule I did it because I thought "I'll be ok, I've heard all those folks at AA tell about the years and many many times they drove under the influence without anything bad happening".

It is sheer luck that nothing had happened to them. If anyone bumps into you, or you are in any accident and found to be DUI - whether the incident is down to your driving or not, you will be found at fault automatically.

Just not worth it. I have my own personalised version of the above video for myself from my memory of that day.

**Sona** · December 30, 2010, 08:51 AM

DUI

I drank for years and really didn't drive when I did it. I drank at home. Then one awful morning, July 3, 2009, I went through some events that made me want to drink, drive and get in a fight with someone. I never made it to the fight. On the way to meet this fellow, I rolled the best car I ever had four times. Twenty-seven stitches in the head, and all over my hands and arms. I am blonde, but the hospital admitted me as having red hair. It was all the blood.

That got me a year off from driving, but I'm just thankful to God I didn't hurt anyone but myself.

You know how we're always told this is a progressive disease that only gets worse when you go back out? One of the things that has scared me recently is that I have driven drunk. I never did it before, I did it one time and crashed -- I had eight months of sobriety after that and now I find that when I drink I do it much more often. And that is another reason that this needs to be done for good this time.

**brightlite** · December 30, 2010, 09:09 AM

DUI

OMG, that video was so powerful.

**KateH1** · December 30, 2010, 10:53 AM

DUI

UK, I always appreciate the honesty and sincerity of your posts. Thank you for sharing your dui experience, everyone can learn from this. I am so grateful that you and the others on the road that night are all OK. You are right, as terrible as this was, it could have been far worse. I particularly appreciate how you take full responsibility for what happened. No excuses.

The fact is, driving after any amount of alcohol or texting and driving is like walking around waving a loaded gun! We all need to seriously think about this. You are completely right, cars are indeed killing machines when they are in the hands of anyone who is not completely sober and paying complete attention to their driving and those around them.

I hope that everyone here, reads this thread and truly thinks about this. Perhaps it will save a life!

Kate

**Frenchman** · December 30, 2010, 11:07 AM

DUI

The vicious effect of alcohol on my brain is the alteration of psyche where I feel perfectly fine to drive after drinking. I would swear I was fine. The truth is that my entire consciousness is altered and flawed and that I could have killed myself and others in the process. Lesson learned from me after realizing life and legal impact it could have created. Thanks for your input.

**lil.michelle** · December 30, 2010, 11:45 AM

DUI

WOW, you an't be from the uk. Even if you speed, one of the first things they do is give you a breathalyser test.
I really hope you have learnt from this and never make that mistake again.
Wishing you the best Xx

**Guest** · December 30, 2010, 01:03 PM

DUI

Katie

It was the morning after - around 10/1030 am!!!!!That's what is the scary bit. I didn't drink then get in the car, just shows you how long it stays in your system.

Keyners

Yes that was what I thought - that I would be fine. I wasn't and was already 'wandering' on the road before I hit. In a way I'm glad it happened because it stopped me from being tempted again, however the only true way to be sure is to be AF long-term. I've not driven in blackout probably because my car is kept away from the house and to get the key(which because I don't drive much is not kept floating around), then go and get the thing - well drunk I just wouldn't be bothered, I'd rather get a taxi!

Luckily I've somehow programmed myself to not do that again and have a very healthy, obsessive fear of driving under the influence of anything. I do not want to be convicted again. I have left my car somewhere potentially unsafe(for the car not anyone else) for days because I knew I couldn't move it, asked friends to take it in for MOT/repairs at times I knew I might not be clear to drive. Not taken or fetched things from it for the same reasons(yep you can get arrested for that).

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