Drivers urged to check drink measures as Christmas approaches

As the festive period fast approaches, motorists are being urged to check the measures of the drinks they have before they decide to drive. Many drivers are being served drinks that are larger in measure than they realise, which could lead to them unwittingly drink-driving.

A survey carried out by Direct Line, has found that 15% of pubs in the UK do not offer the smaller 125ml wine glass measure, yet many do not advertise the fact they serve larger measures which could in turn cause a driver to be over the drink drive limit without them knowing it.

This raises concerns for motorists who decide to have a drink but wish to limit their alcohol consumption so they aren’t over the limit. Under the Licensing Act 2003, still wine in a glass must be offered to customers as a 125ml measure and must be displayed in a menu or price list for customers to see.

This problem can affect women in particular, who are more likely to order a glass of wine than men. The study shows that wine is the drink of choice for 76% of women in a bar or pub.

Even more worrying, was the fact that the study also found that 58% of women did not know how much wine they could consume and still legally drive. The number of drink-drive convictions for women has almost doubled between 1998 and 2012, rising from 9% of all drink-drive convictions to 17%.

Rob Miles, director of motor at Direct Line said: “We’d urge anyone who does plan to drive not to drink at all. The majority of pubs and restaurants now offer a 250ml glass of wine, which few people realise, is a third of a bottle and often contains three or more units of alcohol. This would push many drivers over the legal limit with potentially lethal consequences.”