When driving a vehicle you are not only taking your own life into your hands, but also the lives of your passengers and of other drivers with whom you share the road.  If someone would happen to perish due to negligence on your part while you were behind the wheel, you could be charged with Corporate manslaughter.  While this is considered a misdemeanour charge, the action still carries severe penalties and the weight of guilt that you will have to bear for the rest of your life.  The term “vehicular manslaughter” is often used in accidental death cases where the defendant is being prosecuted for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and usually includes a lesser infraction such as driving on a suspended or without a license, and a charge of negligence.

Offences such as corporate manslaughter does not usually require the perpetrator of the crime to have criminal intent.  In other words, they did not premeditate the crime; it was due to their negligence instead.  For this reason, operating a motor vehicle of any sort while under the influence of illegal drugs, prescription drugs that could cause drowsiness and alcohol carry very stiff penalties which include fines, loss of driving privileges and jail time.

The Leicestershire police say there has still been a large number of drink drivers caught over the Christmas break despite all of the warnings. Over 10 percent of drivers stopped in  the  Leicestershire area were over the legal alcohol limit for driving for the month of December 2007.

Fifty nine out of one hundred and fifty nine people caught were aged under twenty five. At the Bill Plant Driving School we take such information very seriously and actively promote road safety.

The vast majority of drivers now believe drink driving to be socially unacceptable. However, it is that time of year again when temptations are put into the way of drivers over the Christmas and New Year festive period which can place temptations in the way of people who would never consider having a drink of alcohol and driving. Many of us will face these dilemmas but it’s crucial to decide firmly at the outset either not to drink or to leave the car where it is.

Some points that should be remembered are just one drink will impair your ability, the measures at parties will be more generous than those served at your local pub, you can be breathalysed if you are involved in accident, even if it is not your fault and drinking heavily the night before can put you over the legal limit the morning after.

A tragic case has come to light, highlighted in the nation press and local television, of a van driver 23 year Scott Easton who crashed into the car of a family of 5, a mother, father and three children, whilst driving on the A1 near Kirby Fleetham North Yorkshire in March of this year killing four of the family including the mother and father.

It transpires that the van driver had been drinking the night previously and when checked by the police at the time of the accident, was over the legal drink driving limit. This case highlights the dangers of assuming that it will be alright to drive a motor vehicle after consuming, what could be moderate quantities of alcohol the night before and driving the next day. Airline pilots in common with professional drivers do not drink alcohol the night before undertaking their professional duties and the same rule should apply to all people who drive motor vehicles.

The consequences of breaking the law in this regard are serious and the van driver in this case received a custodial sentence of seven years in prison and a small nine year old boy is without a mother, father and two brothers.

The first thing that we should stress is that drinking alcohol and driving a motor vehicle do not mix and the law in this respect is quite clear. However, there could be occasions when we perhaps visit friends or go out to a restaurant for dinner as part of an evening out or as a family celebration. It would be normal to have a glass of wine with our dinner over the evening, but what is the strength of that wine and what constitutes a glass?

Drink Driving

A few years ago, if we asked for a glass of wine in a pub or restaurant it would be 125ml, long gone are those days! Now it is perfectly normal for wine to be served to you in a glass that is 175ml and increasingly this is now 225ml, this latter represents an increase in volume of 80%! It is not just the size of glass that you should be aware of; it is the increasing strength of the wine. Again in the 1980’s a bottle of wine with an alcohol by volume of between 9% & 11% was the norm and one of 13% was virtually unknown, now this is quite normal and wine, even from Europe can be 14% ABV. So please be aware of this and the law in this matter.

An American TV show star (Kiefer Sutherland) who has gained popularity in the UK for the series 24 was pulled over earlier this week after he made an illegal U- turn in the road the LA Police said. He has been freed on bail.

The actor had been arrested on Tuesday this week for suspicion of drink driving. He is still on probabtion for drink driving offences in 2004.

As an actor and a role model to younger people he is setting a bad example and has it seems not yet learned his lesson. What do you think?