Drink Driving Limit

Free Drink Driving Legal Advice, Help and FAQ for the UK Motorist

Drink Driving Limit
Frequently Asked Questions
 
What is the drink driving limit?
 
How many units can I drink before driving?
 
Can drinking coffee or having a cold shower help me to sober up?
 
How long do the effects of alcohol take to wear off?
 
What constitutes a unit of alcohol?
 
How do I calculate how many units there are in a drink?
 
 

What is the drink driving limit?

In the UK the drink driving limit is:

35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath; or
80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood; or
107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine. 
 

How many units can I drink before driving?

The legal drink drive limit cannot be safely converted into a certain number of units, as it depends on a number of factors to include gender, body mass and how quickly your body absorbs alcohol into the blood stream.
 

Can drinking coffee or having a cold shower help to sober me up?

No, drinking coffee or having a cold shower will not sober you up as this does not remove alcohol from your blood stream.
 

How long do the effects of alcohol take to wear off?

On average it takes one hour for a healthy liver to process one unit of alcohol. However, it does depend on your body mass, gender and how much food you have consumed. Even if you feel fine after drinking heavily in the evening there is still a high possibility that you will be above the legal limit should you drive the following morning.
 

What constitutes a unit of alcohol?

One unit of alcohol is 10ml (1cl) by volume or 8g by weight, of pure alcohol.
 

How do I calculate how many units there are in a drink?

A unit of alcohol is measured by the size (ml) and strength (% alcohol by volume or ABV) of the drink.
 
The following is a guideline:
 

Wine

ABV

Small Glass
125ml

Standard Glass
175ml

 
12% 1.5 units 2.1 Units  
  14% 1.75 units 2.45 Units  

Beer

ABV

Half Pint

330 ml Bottle

1 Pint

  3% 1 Unit   2  Units
  4% 1.1 Units   2.2 Units
  5% 1.4 Units 1.7 Units 2.8 Units

Spirits

ABV

Single Shot
25ml

Double Shot
50 ml

 
  40% 1 Unit 2 Units  
Port 20% 0.5 Unit 1 Unit  
 
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