Anon – JHB
I never used to think anything of drinking and driving. There were days when I woke up not even remembering how I got home and then realising that I must have driven because I was in my own car.
In the last year or two I have really made an effort to watch how much I drink when I am driving – and thank goodness because the other night I was pulled over and breathalised and it was terrible.
I was driving home at about midnight, I had been out with friends but I was driving alone. I had had 2 glasses of wine over the course of a few hours so I thought I should be fine, but I was still really scared because I have never been tested before and I didn’t know what the reading was going to say.
The cop asked me how much I had had to drink and i said, “2 glasses of wine” he started laughing at me and said “that’s what they all say” and then called another cop over who also laughed at me and told me to get out of the car and give him my keys and my license.
The limit is 0.24 and my reading was 0.11 so I was ok, but the girl next to me was 0.34 and they put her in the back of a van.
Even though I was under the limit it was such a horrible experience – I really want to encourage everyone – especially women driving alone at night – NOT to drink ANYTHING when they are driving. Even if you are keeping track of how much you drink, that last glass of wine could put you over the limit.
