Drink driving limits in Ireland 2019: How soon can you drive after pints, wine and shorts at Christmas

It's the time of year for drinking but make sure not to drive while over the limit

Christmas time is here so some people will be spending most of their time with a drink in hand.

If you are going to the pub, drinking at home, or even drinking in public(not recommended) make sure not to drive over the limit.

The limit is getting lower and lower and currently stands at blood alcohol level of 50mg for experienced drivers.

The limit is lower for learner drivers and professional drivers, at a blood alcohol level of 20mg.

This means if you have one drink you could well be over the limit.

Here is a couple of examples of how long you should stay away from the car after a night out, keeping in mind the morning after is considered the most dangerous time for drink driving.

10 pints of lager/stout

Lets just say you do the 12 pubs, skipping one or two because you can't handle it, and end up having 10 pints of Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg or some other lager or stout in and around 4.5%.

According to Drink Aware you can not get into the car for 20 hours after you finish your final drink.

So of you retreat to bed at midnight, you can not get back into a car until 8pm the following night.

1 bottle of wine

If you polish off one bottle of red or white wine you will have to stay off the road for eight hours after you finish.

10 vodka and cokes

If you are sticking to vodka and manage to down 10 altogether, that would mean no driving for 10 hours after your final drink.

12 pints and 6 vodkas with mixers

Going for a proper wild night, drink in the pub for the day and then go to a nightclub and switch to the vodka.

This one will have you feeling particularly bad the next day and that is reflected in how long you have to stay off the road.

You will have to avoid driving for 30 hours after your last drink, so basically just stay away from the car for the weekend.

Calculate your own

These figures above are estimated amounts and will vary depending on a person's metabolism, what they ate and so on.

If you want to calculate your own, head on over to drinkaware.ie and make sure to stay safe on the roads.

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