Drivers wrongly calculate safe driving limits

Motorists are being warned that a drink in the sun could put them behind bars as the Government and police join forces to crack down on the menace of drink driving over the summer.” Don't pay with your life for a pint this summer”

However, a Drink Drive survey undertaken by Morning after Breathalyser manufacturer AlcoSense, revealed that no less than 96% of respondents underestimated the number of units of alcohol in a pint of (6%ABV) lager and 97% of respondents underestimated the number of units in a 250ml glass of wine (13%ABV). Both drinks in fact contain 3.4 units. The most popular answer was 2 units, almost half of the correct alcoholic content. With the current Drink Drive law meaning that there is an effect a 2 unit limit, then people are totally unaware that they are putting themselves, their licences and the lives of others at risk, by driving while over the drink drive limit.

Commenting on the results of this survey, Hunter Abbott CEO of AlcoSense said, "This is worrying for the evening, but even more worrying for the morning after as people are vastly underestimating just how much alcohol they have consumed. Only 4 of these drinks could put you over the limit the following morning. In both instances the only way to tell if the alcohol has left your system is to use an accurate personal breathalyser like AlcoSense.”

The AlcoSense concept has full support from the experts. Katie Shephard, Fundraising Manager at BRAKE, the national road safety charity, says: “Nearly one in six of all deaths on the road involve drivers who are over the legal alcohol limit. Most people don’t even consider that after a night of moderate drinking they may still be over the limit to drive well into the next day. Because everyone is different you cannot guess when the alcohol has passed from your system the morning after. A great way to tell is to use an accurate personal breathalyser like AlcoSense.”

What is AlcoSense?

AlcoSense is a mobile phone-sized breathalyser developed to quickly and accurately measure if you are near or over the UK drink driving limit. Working in the same way as a Police breathalyser ( see the Fifth Gear test video on alcosense.co.uk/reviews.html#fifthreview ) AlcoSense detects the concentration of alcohol in your breath enabling the unit to provide an accurate and discreet Blood Alcohol Concentration reading and alert you if you are above the UK drink drive limit. This is aimed to help people avoid putting lives at risk by driving the morning after a night of drinking, when they are unaware that they are still under the influence of alcohol. AlcoSense is much more compact than other breathalysers and able to give highly accurate readings through its superior technology. The ultra-quick and discreet result makes it ideal for use the morning after a night out.

AlcoSense Elite costs £59.99; the Lite is £34.99. They are available nationwide from Rowland Pharmacies, Maplin Electronics and alcosense.co.uk. Fresh hygiene tubes are available in packs of 20 priced at £4.99.