The festive season will reach its peak next week as the countdown to Christmas begins with many heading out for parties and gatherings galore.
Garda checkpoints will likely be dotted across the country over this period of time, to ensure the roads are safe for all of those heading home for the celebrations.
Ireland's death toll on our roads has reached startling numbers this year, so having a designated driver, or plans to get a taxi, bus or train home is vital to ensure your safety and the safety of others on the road.
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Drivers are reminded that if they are found to be over the limit of a blood alcohol concentration - which is between 50mg and 80mg - they face a three-month driving ban.
The ban replaced previous legislation, which saw gardai issue penalty points to those over the limit in 2019.
When is it safe to drive after a night of drinking?
Drivers have been warned that the time of their final drink from the night before may affect the amount of alcohol in their system the next day.
One unit of alcohol takes one hour to process, and there is no way to speed this up.
One standard drink includes half a pint of beer, stout or lager, a small glass of wine (100ml), or a pub measure of spirits (35.5ml).
10 pints of lager/stout
If you have 10 pints of Guinness, Heineken, Carlsberg, or some other lager or stout, around 4.5%, according to Drinkaware, you can not get into the car for 20 hours after finishing your final drink.
So if you get to bed at midnight, you can not get back into a car until 8:00 pm the following night.
One bottle of wine
You will have to stay off the road for eight hours after you finish one bottle of red or white wine.
Five vodka and cokes
If you are sticking to vodka and manage to drink 5 altogether, that would mean no driving for 5 hours after your final drink.
Can I sober up quicker?
The answer is no.
Experts have warned that you can do nothing to remove alcohol from your body any quicker apart from just waiting.
Common myths like drinking water, coffee, or having a shower or breakfast will sober you up are untrue.
Can I use a breathalyser to determine whether or not it’s safe to drive?
Drinkaware has warned against relying on off-the-shelf personal breathalysers saying they are not developed using the same standards as those used by the gardai.
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