Despite the fact that the weather has been a little bit disagreeable over the weekend, the May Day Bank Holiday usually signals the start of the British Summer; family garden parties with over exuberant barbeques and cheeky glasses of Pimm's before heading to a pub beer garden for a few spritzers or ice-cold lagers.
The problem is that all these light and refreshing fizzy drinks soon mount up and before you know it you're driving a car that you're not fully in control of because you're over the legal limit for alcohol.
It's incredibly easily done, because a Pimm's or a white wine spritzer doesn't seem like a big risk to take as the alcoholic content is quite low in a mixed drink in comparison to a full glass of wine or a spirit. I mention these types of drinks because they're what I like to drink now I'm a mum, and I'm sure I'm not the only mum who likes them, my Instagram feed is testimony to that with early evening shots from mums of "a cheeky glass of vino, well deserved after the day I've had!"
There have been many mums in the press over the last few months who have been convicted of drink driving, shockingly while on the school run, with one such mum being twice over the legal limit! While this case seems to have been deliberate, another was down to the mother not leaving enough time for alcohol to have passed through her system before driving from the night before. Both decisions involved women ignorant about the length of time it takes for alcohol and its effects to pass once ingested.
I personally prefer not to drink and drive at all, it's better to be safe than sorry, especially as alcohol plays havoc with judgements regarding rational decisions. However, there is a very nifty online calculator which can help other parents determine whether it's safe for them to drive after a drink or two. The tool takes into account the types and amount of alcohol consumed and measures this against factors such as age and weight, before giving the overall judgment.
Written in collaboration with Insurance Revolution
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