A night to regret

Trevor popped into the pre-Christmas get-together at about 6pm. It was great to see fellow contractors, the odd architect and several old clients. That’s what Christmas cheer is all about. “Cheers,” said Trevor over his first beer. By midnight three more things had happened: he had driven his car, he had been breathalysed and he had been banged up by the old Bill.

Trevor’s first drink at 6pm had been followed by a few more. Then they went for a meal at a nice restaurant in the West End. It has a great wine list. Their port is excellent, especially with ripe stilton. A taxi took Trevor up to King’s Cross and he caught the late train back to Stevenage. He felt good. Managed a doze between Hatfield and Welwyn and his Mercedes was waiting for him in the station car park.

What Trevor didn’t know was that CCTV cameras surround Stevenage station, and the bloke at central control spotted Trevor walking to his car, getting in and driving off. Two minutes later, blue lights filled Trevor’s eyeballs. “We have reasonable cause to suspect that you have consumed alcohol, sir.” Now more lights: the breath test invites one of three to glow. Green for no alcohol. Trevor missed that one. Amber for some alcohol. He missed that one as well. Red.

The formal breath test at Stevenage police station read 106. “Oh dear,” said the officer. “Shall we do it again?” He did. Ninety-four this time. “Settle for that?” asked the officer. Trouble is, the limit is 35. Trevor was glum. “I want a blood test, please.” “No sir,” said the police officer. “Your request is refused”. Instead he was locked up in the cells. The police officer was quite right to refuse a blood or urine test. It’s only a must when the reading is hovering above 40.

Trevor’s wife woke at about 2am. “Where the hell is he?” She phoned his mobile. His voicemail answered. She tried again at 4am; still no Trevor. Then Stevenage police phoned at 5am to say he was in custody, drunk and in trouble. He would come home in the morning. He didn’t. He was still over the limit at 10.30am and still in nick. By noon he was sober enough to be released on bail to appear in two days’ time at the magistrates’ court. Meanwhile, he could drive. Trevor’s wife gave him hell.

It was explained to the magistrates that the CCTV people had reported a train passenger walking unsteadily to his car. They phoned Stevenage police

It was explained to the magistrates that the CCTV people had reported a train passenger walking unsteadily to his car. They phoned Stevenage police. So the police had reasonable grounds to pull Trevor over. Then he admitted that he had had a dram or two. He was way over the limit at 94. He pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol. All that remained was the sentence. Do you know what the range of sentence is? Try six months in prison, a £5000 fine and disqualification. Trevor got a two-year driving ban and £850 fine. He can get six months knocked off his ban if he is willing to pay £200 to attend HAPAS. That stands for Hertfordshire Alcohol Problem Advisory Service. It is a rehabilitation course where you discuss your little problem with other banned motorists.

There is no law in the UK that prohibits drinking and driving. The law permits drinking and driving up to a specified limit. The complaint since 1967 is that nobody can properly say how much booze carries you over the red line of 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath (or 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood). I tested this with some of my cronies. No one was sure. It used to be said two pints of bitter was OK. Not true. Many beers today are at the heavy end of alcohol level. As for a glass of wine, glasses come in all sizes. After that the reading depends on weight, age, metabolism, sexual activity, stress, food and more besides. Today’s youngsters are the best behaved. No driving on any drink is ever so ordinary. But they drink a skin full at night then drive the next morning.

I asked my insurance man what effect a ban had on premiums. They go up by about a third. But if you lose your licence for three years, you lose your no-claim bonus, too. A £500 premium zoomed up to £2000. As for your licence, a one-year ban – mandatory if you are a smidgen over the 35 limit – means the licence is endorsed for 11 years. If at any time in that period you are done again, even if a tiny amount over, the ban is a minimum three years. Don’t ask what happens if you do it a third time. Worst of all is to drink, drive and cause injury or death.

So what do Trevor’s mates think of the episode? Nobody is sympathetic and nobody forgiving. It has become anti-social to have a few drinks and drive. One of his builder friends told me that the sentence ought to have been five hours a week for a year picking up litter on the A1 at Stevenage. Another asked if we still have convict ships sailing to Australia. Hurtful. Not really. Be safe and have a good Christmas. Cheers.