Zero2Turbo
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Twitter Instagram RSS
    Zero2Turbo
    • Home
    • Contact
    • Videos
      Featured

      Brabus Reveal 808 HP (603 kW) Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

      By Zero2TurboMay 18, 2022
      Recent

      Brabus Reveal 808 HP (603 kW) Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

      May 18, 2022

      Every Lamborghini Aventador Lines Up For Symphonic V12 Drag Race

      May 16, 2022

      Watch Aston Martin Testing The Valkyrie In Soaking Conditions at Mugello

      May 12, 2022
    • South Africa
    • Zero2Turbo Telegram
    Zero2Turbo
    Home»Zero2Turbo»Police Stop: The Does and Dont’s of UK Drink Driving Law
    Zero2Turbo

    Police Stop: The Does and Dont’s of UK Drink Driving Law

    By Zero2TurboApril 28, 2017Updated:June 28, 2017No Comments
    Facebook Email Twitter LinkedIn Telegram WhatsApp
    Share
    Facebook Email Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram

    We have all suffered that sudden intake of breath as flashing blue lights appear in our rear view mirror. Imagine however, if you had just left the pub having had a drink. Thoughts turn to concern about just what may happen and what it may mean. Here we look at what the police can and cannot do in terms of stopping you, and moreover asking for a specimen to be given at the roadside. This isn’t a guide in how to avoid being breathalysed, but it is very important that as drivers we know and understand what our individual rights are and what the police can and cannot ask for. A little knowledge may be classed as a dangerous thing, but ignorance is far from bliss. Learning what you are entitled and moreover not entitled to do is an important lesson for all of us. So once the blue lights are flashing, what should we do?

    Stop

    Let’s get the basics right first. The police are entitled to stop any vehicle for any reason and if they request that you stop, then you should definitely pull over at the first conveniently safe place to do so. But just because you have to pull over doesn’t mean that you have no rights. Far from it.

    If stopped, the police can ask for the usual documents, insurance, driving licence and certificate of insurance. If you do not carry these, they may give you a producer, and seven days to take them to the station.

    The police can give you an on the spot penalty notice for various traffic offences and in certain circumstances they can request that you provide a roadside breath test. But just what are these circumstances?

    Should I Be Breathalysed?

    Remember that, under UK drink driving law, there is no automatic right to request a breath test. You can only be requested to take the breathalyser in certain circumstances and not as a matter of course. These circumstances are as follows:

    • They think that you have been drinking
    • You have committed a traffic offence
    • You have been involved in a road traffic accident.

    Let’s look at these in a little more detail. What makes the police suspect that an individual has been drinking? Certainly the smell of alcohol in the car can tip an officer off, they may have witnessed you exit a pub before getting into your car, or they may have been tipped off that you have been drinking. Erratic driving may also indicate that there is a problem.

    If you have committed a separate offence, such as speeding, then they are entitled to breathalyse you and the same goes for offences such as running a red light, or driving without due care and attention.

    The third is perhaps the most strange. If you are involved in a road traffic accident then you are going to be breathalysed. This is true even if you are not at fault for the accident. Think, you are sat at a red light and somebody drives into the rear of your car. The police are entitled to breathalyse you, even though there is no fault. Also remember that many drink driving charges are based on offences committed the day after the night before. So a few drinks late into the night and an early start to work, may mean that you are over the limit, and even where an accident is not your fault you will probably be breathalysed. Of course if you are over the limit then there will be no sympathy, but it is only by chance that you have been tested.

    Refusing

    Any drink driving solicitor will tell you that there is a separate offence of failing to give a sample when requested. Only medical ground would probably be a good enough reason to not take the roadside test and even then you are getting into complicated waters.

    Once Tested

    If you pass, likelihood is that you will be allowed to continue on, unless of course there is another offence involved. A failure however will mean that you will be arrested and taken to the police station. At the station, a further more detailed test will be taken and will form the basis of any prosecution or drink driving charge. It is possible, though rare, that you can fail a roadside test and thereafter pass a station test. Perhaps if you are on the cusp, but even so, this is not a tightrope that you want to take. Also remember that if you are arrested you will not be able to drive your car yourself until you are sober.

    Basically therefore, the rules are simple. The police can stop you at any time for any reason whatsoever. There does however need to be a certain basis before they can insist on you undertaking a breath test though. They have no absolute right to insist upon one, and if you are concerned then you should definitely speak to a drink driving Solicitor.

    These rules are not there to safeguard people who drink and drive, in the end they will be caught out. They are there to ensure that there is certainty within UK drink driving law, and that procedures will have to be undertaken properly if there is to be any prosecution. Knowing your rights will not make you immune to any drink driving charges that may be brought against you, but at least when you see the blue lights flashing, once you have drawn breath, you will be able to relax that little bit more.

    Share. Facebook Email Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram
    Previous Article#ExoticSpotSA Week 17 2017
    Next Article Meet The Most Expensive SUV In The World – The Bentley Bentayga

    Related Posts

    Mercedes-Maybach SL Is In The Works

    May 19, 2022

    Mansory Create Menacing 1,085 HP (809 kW) Ferrari ‘F9XX’ From SF90

    May 19, 2022

    BMW M240i Gets Rear-Wheel-Drive Variant But Not Coming to South Africa

    May 19, 2022

    All-New Pagani ‘C10’ Coming September 12

    May 19, 2022

    Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali Says South Africa Grand Prix “Most Likely To Happen Soon”

    May 18, 2022

    Bentley EV To Pack As Much as 1,400 HP And Hit 100 KM/H In 1.7 Seconds

    May 18, 2022

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Popular Posts
    • Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali Says South Africa Grand Prix “Most Likely To Happen Soon”
    • Bentley EV To Pack As Much as 1,400 HP And Hit 100 KM/H In 1.7 Seconds
    • Brabus Reveal 808 HP (603 kW) Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet
    • BMW 3 Series Sedan and Touring Refreshed
    • Lamborghini Confirms 2024 LMDh Race Car With Teaser

    Latest Instagram Photos
    • First time seeing the new Bentley Bentayga S in the metal and wow it is striking.

Those 22" wheels look superb, especially in this spec.

Starts from R4,695,000 and that gets you a twin-turbo V8 delivering 542 hp (404 kW) and 770 Nm of torque.

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #Bentley #BentaygaS #BentleySouthAfrica
    • #MercedesAMGMonday done right with the brutal AMG GT Black Series recently snapped by @matts_cars_za for @amg_driving_academy_za 😎

This is the first time a GT Black Series has been shot on track in SA and potentially the first time one has posed with the slightly less hardcore AMG GT R Pro.

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #MercedesAMG #GTBlackSeries #GTRPro #Zwartkops #AMGDrivingAcademyZA
    • It has been quite some time since this Koenigsegg CCXR was seen in South Africa but it made an appearance today and @thecarscene_ managed to snap it in Cedar, Fourways.

As far as we know, there are only 2 Eggs in SA. This one and an orange CCX in East London which has also not been seen in quite some time.

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #Koenigsegg #CCXR #KoenigseggCCXR
    • #WideWednesday showing off this bold Urus sporting the Novitec Esteso widebody and aero kit done by @race1_ 

It also packs a full Supersprint exhaust so you will certainly hear it before you see it coming.

Snapped by @airaga95 at Brentwood Mall 

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #Lamborghini #Urus #NovitecEsteso #WidebodyUrus
    • Possibly the first privately-owned Mercedes-AMG GT3 in South Africa showed up at Dezzi Raceway in KZN for its first local drive.

Snapped by @turbochargd 

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #MercedesAMG #GT3 #DezziRaceway #MercedesAMGGT3
    • Nice Aston Martin Vantage F1® Edition spotted in Cape Town recently by @kylevanhelden 😎

Don't you agree that this is how the Vantage should have been from the start?

#ExoticSpotSA #Zero2Turbo #SouthAfrica #AstonMartin #VantageF1Edition

    Follow Us

    Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
    Designed by Zero2Turbo.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.