Each year, over 500,000 breath tests are carried out across the UK.

Of these 500,000 breath tests, an average of 1 in 5 is found positive.

The most common section of society who test positive in breath tests are men between the ages of 17 and 29.

Men between these ages also make up the highest number of casualties of drinking and driving.

Nearly 1 in 6 of all deaths on the road involve drivers with more than the legal limit of alcohol in their blood.

This results in an average of 3,000 people being killed or seriously injured as a result of drink drive collisions.

In addition to these 3,000 serious casualties, 2004 saw over 14,000 more people suffered minor injuries from collisions involving drink driving.

Don’t be one of the 100,000 people caught drinking and driving this year. Don’t drink and drive this Christmas.

Because of the massive danger involved in drink driving, exceeding the limit of 80mg of alcohol in 100 mg of blood carries a maximum penalty of 6 months in prison, a £5000 fine and a driving ban of 12 months. Although this is a maximum penalty, everybody caught drink driving loses their license for a year – a ban that remains on a license for 11 years! Not only does this boost insurance, the ban itself can totally ruin somebody’s life, as both work and family life become much, much harder.

As if this isn’t scary enough, merely being in charge of a vehicle whilst over the legal limit can result in a prison sentence of 3 months’ imprisonment, a £2,500 fine a driving ban! Failing to provide a provide a sample for testing won’t help either, as this carries a penalty as harsh as drink driving itself!

Most terrifying of all, however, is the penalty for causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of alcohol. As if causing death wasn’t harrowing enough, you can also be sentenced to 14 years in prison!

In fact, it is probably the same feeling that we enjoy from drinking alcohol that makes us more dangerous drivers. The boost in confidence, combined with reduced coordination and reaction times makes for a good party, but a very dangerous drive home.

This same principle goes for the morning after as well. Always remember, that sleeping is not the same as sobering up! Nor is drinking coffee, having a shower or changing your clothes! You may feel better, but you’re still not a safe driver and will lose your license if caught. On average, your body will metabolise a single unit of alcohol an hour – around half a pint of beer. A few hours of sleep is simply not enough to sober you up after a night of heavy drinking.

Over the last 12 years, the number of defendants being prosecuted in magistrates’ courts has fallen from nearly 2 million to 1.64 million, with minor speeding offences falling by nearly a quarter. In 2008, only just over half the total number of offences recorded were court convictions, yet spending on criminal courts rose to a billion pounds across 2008 and 2009. Despite the fact that they have already lost over 1,000 staff over the last 3 years, the government has hence proposed to close down 100 more magistrates’ courts across the country, as yet another money-saving strategy.

The problem, however, is whether this is really a sensible route for the country to be taking. Although minor speeding fines are the kind of thing that are probably best handled by police officers rather than magistrates, we must take care not to shift the emphasis of determining convictions and punishments only law enforcement officers, who are clearly not qualified for the role. Court hearings ensure justice and fairness remain of paramount importance; even in minor cases, everybody has a right to be treated fairly and have their case properly heard by a magistrate or judge – not just a bobby.

However, the AA has warned that scrapping speed cameras in this way is creating a “road safety policy void”, which is putting lives at risk. In a letter to Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, the AA said “motorists’ views are not being reflected accurately in this debate. Ultimately, lives are at risk.” Unfortunately, I disagree.

Although there is little doubt that speed cameras protect lives, I feel the AA grossly misunderstand the viewpoint of most motorists. Granted, I spend much of my time with frustrated drivers who have been caught out by cameras, but even those who haven’t been caught find speed cameras more annoying than anything else. For every person who rockets up to the camera, slows down for 4 seconds and then shoots off again, dozens are fined for driving a few miles an hour too fast. I’m not offering an opinion of whether cameras are good or bad, however; I’m merely saying that the AA should think twice before claiming to have the public on its side. I think most of us will be thrilled to hear there are less cameras around!

That’s right, when Freeman’s daughter Sophie, 19, was caught doing 63mph in a 50mph zone, Freeman refused to get her off the charges! “Every fibre of my parental instinct told me that Sophie had to understand the consequences of breaking the law.” he was reported as saying, which seems very paternal, if slightly hypocritical. After all, the consequences of breaking the law for Bowyer, O’Sullivan and Becks were, well, non-existent! Then again, Freeman has taught his daughter another valuable lesson; life isn’t fair.

As Nick Freeman and Jeanette Miller have famously proven, the majority of motorists can get off their charges on technicalities. Irregular road markings, paparazzi chases and depression make up just some of the excuses that have been successfully used to get various rich and famous people off speeding, dangerous driving and giving breath tests. A few years back, Miller even managed to save a man with 31 points on his license from getting a ban! Although this may seem something unethical, Miller recently pointed out the Guardian that not doing our best to get our clients off – even when they are guilty – would be a breach of our professional duty.

We, as solicitors, are obliged to do our best to get our clients off the charges laid against them. In many cases, this is entirely possible, due to loopholes in the law and minor technicalities – the kind of thing only a detailed knowledge of the law allows. If you find yourself in trouble, there really is no better option that calling to talk things through.

When arguing against a charge of speeding, for example, many motors challenge the speed they were said to have been travelling. This normally takes the form of a challenge against the equipment used to detect their speed. The same applies to drink driving, in which case people challenge the accuracy of the alcohol detection equipment. In both cases, legal representation is highly advised, as it is exceptionally hard to provide decent evidence to support such claims.

Defendants seeking instead to challenge the Police Officer from whom their charge has been made should also consider employing a solicitor to help their case. Police Officers, as people of the law, are highly experienced in most legal matters, courtroom appearances included. Despite the neutrality that judges are required to maintain, a Police Officer always starts a case in a strong position, compared to a civilian accused of a traffic offence.

In some cases, hiring motoring solicitors is a very wise move. Say, for example, you have been charged with speeding and are disputing the claim – saying you weren’t going as fast as they say you were. In this case, when intending to argue and fight your case, a motoring solicitor is the most valuable ally you can hope for. Similarly, when at risk of losing your license, there is nobody better to have on your side than an accomplish motoring solicitor.

However, in many cases people caught speeding are happy to accept the charge, pay the fine, take the points and avoid any legal costs. In cases like this, there is little a solicitor can do to help. Set offences have set penalties and, although a written plea to the court could help matters, there is little that having a lawyer present can do to help your case.

You might expect half or perhaps even the majority of motoring offenses to be for speeding. I wonder, however, if you’d believe a massive 85% of all convictions are for the crime of driving above the speed limit! By comparison, all other motoring offenses are quite rare!

Speeding was an easy answer; now consider the second most common motoring offense. You may suspect driving with a mobile phone, or broken break lights – but you’d be wrong. 9% of all convictions for motoring offenses are made up by…people driving through red lights! 9% sounds very small compared to the 85% that are for speeding, but it’s enough to make jumping traffic lights the second-most-common motoring offense.

Now, for the most worrying part of all. Given the number of car insurance adverts, you could be forgiven for thinking driving without insurance would be one of the most common motoring offensives. On the other hand, the terrifying car-crushing government adverts might lead you to think a large number of people are failing to tax their car. However, although these are fairly common offenses, the third most common motoring offense – making up 2% of all convictions – is the crime of drinking and driving.

There you have it; the three most common motoring offenses. Make sure you steer clear of them all.