A MONDAY morning warning should be issued to company car drivers to avoid them becoming victims of 'accidental' drink driving.

Even moderate drinking during the weekend can still leave drivers over the limit when they get behind the wheel of their cars on a Monday morning, Stafford-based driver training and fleet risk management specialist Pro-Drive is warning.

It is calling for drivers and their managers to be careful about how much they drink during hot summer weekends.

Graham Hurdle, Pro-Drive's managing director, said: 'As alcohol is a drug which affects the nervous system, impairment starts the moment you have your first drink. It also takes one hour for each unit of alcohol to be processed through the body, which means two pints of beer will take four hours.'

Since most people judge their ability to drive based upon how long ago it was since their last drink, they may be in for a nasty surprise to realise they have far more alcohol in their system than they would expect, he added.

In the UK there are 2,000 breath tests every day and 90,000 convictions each year, of which 13% are 'morning after' convictions.

Hurdle said: 'With many company car drivers working very long hours during the week and having stressful jobs, relaxing at the weekend is an important escape and that can revolve around socialising and drinking.

'It is very important, however, to watch what you drink throughout the course of the entire weekend before you get back behind the wheel on Monday morning.'

  • A unit of alcohol is half a pint of ordinary strength beer or lager (3.5%) or a small glass of wine (9%) but nowadays many wines tend to be 11% – 13% in strength and served in larger glasses. Most beers and lagers are now 4–5 %.
  • Alcohol has a greater effect on women than men. Women are generally smaller and lighter and their metabolism is different. As a rule, for every three drinks a man can have, a woman can only have two.
  • Alcohol is a drug which has an immediate impact on the nervous system from the very first drink. It causes over confidence, a tendency to take risks and misjudgement of distance.
    Source: Pro-Drive