Caught Drink Driving the Day After? Drink Driving Lawyers Can Help

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Police breathalyser

You are probably aware of the reasons why you shouldn’t drive straight after you’ve had a few drinks, but what about the next day?

Even though you probably think you are in a suitable condition to drive the morning after a big night out, you can still be over the limit, without even realising it.

Police often target motorists early in the morning.

According to a police commissioner report, 10% of all drink drivers caught in 2011 were stopped between the hours of 6am and midday.

If you are caught this way, you may end up facing a drink driving charge, which can leave you with a criminal conviction, and a disqualification from driving.

If you are facing drink driving charges from the morning after a night drinking, you will need to seek legal advice from a firm of experienced drink driving lawyers in order to get the best outcome in your case.

It can be difficult to know how quickly your body gets rid of alcohol after you have been drinking, and it is easy to underestimate.

The time it takes can vary, depending on a number of different factors, including body type, the amount of food you have eaten, and whether you are male or female.

There is nothing you can do to speed up the process – coffee, exercise and rest won’t make any difference to the amount of time it takes your body to eliminate alcohol from your bloodstream.

As well as the possibility of alcohol remaining in your system the following day, driving with a hangover can be dangerous in itself.

There are a number of symptoms associated with hangovers that can impair your driving ability, and even lead to an accident. Some of these include:

  • Fatigue
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness
  • Slow reflexes and response times
  • Light sensitivity
  • Decreased concentration

The combination of hangover symptoms, and an elevated blood alcohol concentration, makes the chance of having an accident much higher than if you are driving sober, and haven’t been drinking the night before.

If you have been drinking the night before, it is a good idea to avoid driving until you feel completely well and hangover-free.

This may take until the following evening, depending on how much you had to drink the night before, and what time you finished drinking.

Taking precautions to avoid driving the next day while you may still be over the limit can not only help you be safer on the roads, it can also reduce the chance of facing an unexpected drink driving charge.

A drink driving conviction can have a significant impact on your lifestyle, and being disqualified from driving can make it difficult to get to work, or meet your other commitments.

If you have been charged with a drink driving offence, make sure you find a firm of good drink driving lawyers.

An experienced criminal lawyer can help you defend yourself effectively, and in some cases, it is possible to get the disqualification period you are facing reduced, or even to avoid a conviction altogether, particularly if it is your first offence.

It is easy to misjudge when you are safe to drive, but with a bit of care, you can avoid a drink driving conviction from the morning after drinking.

If you do get caught driving over the limit, an experienced, specialist traffic lawyer can offer advice, and help reduce the impact of a conviction.

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Author

Ugur Nedim

Ugur Nedim

Ugur Nedim is an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist with 25 years of experience as a Criminal Defence Lawyer. He is the Principal of Sydney Criminal Lawyers®.

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