What do you think my blood results will be?

Convicted Driver Insurance
Hi I was just wondering if you would be able to help me.


Last Saturday I was working at a club and had a couple of drinks while I was working, possibly about 5 shots of Jack Daniels in total but wasn’t really counting and this was between the hours of 1am and 5:30am, my last drink was probably just before 5:30am.
I got pulled over at around 6:30am by the police and failed a breath test at the side of the road and was taken to the station, I’m not too sure what it was at the road because I was in shock as I didn’t think I was over the limit but I’m sure he said 50 something.
At 7:53am I blew 44 and then at 7:54am I blew 47.
I was offered the option of a blood test which I agreed to, the doctor was quite far away though so my blood test was taken at 9:22 as is recorded on my notes.
I hadn’t had any food since about 6pm the day before.
I am 25, female, 5ft 5 and weigh around 10st 11.
I’m just waiting for my blood results to come back now and I am cr*pping myself a bit, realistically what do you think my blood results will come back as? When I phoned the station a few days later a nice policeman was saying that there is a good chance that they will come back just under and that I shouldn't worry too much but obviously I don't want to lose my licence as I have a young baby to get to nursery & to get to work myself
 
Vanessa,
i think you must have miscounted on your drinks. 5 shots of JD (singles) between 1am and 5 30am should have all gone from your system by 7.54, but your reading indicates about 4 units of alcohol still in your system - 4 JD's....... Maybe they were doubles?
anyway, with an hour and a half delay before your blood was taken, your reading should come back in the 60 to 70 range as a female, under the limit of 80.
 
Vanessa,
i think you must have miscounted on your drinks. 5 shots of JD (singles) between 1am and 5 30am should have all gone from your system by 7.54, but your reading indicates about 4 units of alcohol still in your system - 4 JD's....... Maybe they were doubles?
anyway, with an hour and a half delay before your blood was taken, your reading should come back in the 60 to 70 range as a female, under the limit of 80.

Hi Price, thanks so much for getting back to me from what I've read on these forums you really know your stuff, yes that is what I thought that's why I thought I would be ok to drive otherwise I never would of got in the car, my boss was handing them to me though as she was doing with the rest of the team so I could of miscalculated my units slightly then, it makes me sick to be honest that I was actually over the limit!
I am just praying that they do come back under and the fact that I didn't have food in my system hasn't delayed the absorption of alcohol, the policeman I spoke to a few days afterwards said that I probably won't have anything to worry about judging from the 47 reading and then the 1 & a half hour wait for the blood test but it is a nightmare waiting for the results, I am hopeful that even if I am over the limit that the 6mg they take off will mean that my bloods come back under the 80mg mark.
 
Vanessa,
If you are OK, you have had an even luckier escape than you realise.
As of 10th April the option to provide a blood or urine sample if your reading is between 40 and 50 has been removed, so if you did the same thing now, you would just be charged with drink driving straight away........ Follow our TTC motto, and have NONE 4 the road!
 
Vanessa,
If you are OK, you have had an even luckier escape than you realise.
As of 10th April the option to provide a blood or urine sample if your reading is between 40 and 50 has been removed, so if you did the same thing now, you would just be charged with drink driving straight away........ Follow our TTC motto, and have NONE 4 the road!

Really hope I am! No way didn't even know that, trust me if I am ok I won't even be having one and driving again I know it's my own fault for not really checking my units but I will not be making the same mistake again, there really is nothing worse than people looking at you and thinking "she is a drink driver"- I'm a mother to a young baby and it makes me feel sick.
Thanks for all your help it really is invaluable x
 
Hi Price

i was just wondering if you would be able to help me, this incident happened on the 4th April and I haven't heard anything back from the police in relation to my blood results, I am due to go back to the station on Tuesday 5th May, I've read on a few of these threads that people generally get a phone call if their results come back as nude the limit so does this mean that it doesn't look good for me? :/
I don't know exactly how long it takes for blood results to come back I've heard anywhere between 2-8 weeks.

Thanks

vanessa
 
Not all officers do ring with the result if under, but in your case I would simply think that they have not had the result back yet anyway. You were caught on the Easter weekend, so the earliest the laboratory would have received your sample would have been Wednesday 8th April, so the result may well not be back when you return on 5th May, only 4 weeks later. The result does not come through any quicker if you are under, it just has to take its place in the queue to be analysed. You may well be re bailed next week for 2-4 weeks to await the result.
 
Not all officers do ring with the result if under, but in your case I would simply think that they have not had the result back yet anyway. You were caught on the Easter weekend, so the earliest the laboratory would have received your sample would have been Wednesday 8th April, so the result may well not be back when you return on 5th May, only 4 weeks later. The result does not come through any quicker if you are under, it just has to take its place in the queue to be analysed. You may well be re bailed next week for 2-4 weeks to await the result.

Ahh I see, I was just panicking a bit as I am back in on Tuesday but that makes a lot of sense!

Thanks again Price.
 
Hi Price

Just got my blood results back today and they have come back as 96mg!! This is with the 6mg deduction added; I don't understand how they could be so high as I had a good hour and a half from the breath test and the blood test?
Realistically what charges will I be looking at?
Thanks
Vanessa
 
vanessa,

Your blood reading is about the same as your blood reading at 47 - about 4 units of alcohol in your system
Whilst it would be normal to expect a reading to go down over time, there can be occasions when they do not.
In your case, if you ate something before you finished work, and then had a double JD, it could have delayed the absorption of the alcohol in to your system.
There is the time where alcohol is absorbing into your body, and your liver is starting to deal with it. during this time your reading will rise quickly.
Then after you stop drinking, that absorption slows down until you are absorbing it at the same rate as your liver is eliminating it. This is called the plateau stage and your reading will remain the same for a while.
After that, there is no more alcohol to be absorbed, and the liver is winning - your reading starts to fall.
The sentencing guidelines for a blood reading of 96 is a 12-16 month ban, plus a fine and costs.
 
vanessa,

Your blood reading is about the same as your blood reading at 47


​you will gather that I meant your blood reading at 96 is about the same as your BREATH reading at 47....!
 
Hi Price

I am quite shocked really that it didn't go down in that hour and a half wait, I hadn't eaten anything since half 6 the night before so there wasn't any food to delay the absorption.
Guess I will just have to face the punishment as I don't have anyone to blame but myself, the police officer I saw on Tuesday said that it will more than likely just be a 12 month ban given the reading and the fact that I have a clean record, reduced to 8 months with the drink driving course.
It's not even the ban that is the worst bit its the fact that my insurance for the next 11 years will be through the roof and as I work as an Accountant I am exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act where criminal convictions usually become spent after 5 years so it will always be on my record :(
Is there any advice you could give to me so that the judge doesn't go too hard on me, like write a letter of apology to read out etc?
Thanks
 
Also I only passed my test around 6 months ago, do you get penalty points on your license as I've read that if you get 6 points in the first 2 years of passing that you have to take both parts of your test again?
Thanks
Vanessa
 
Just one more thing as well- my car is a personal leased car, I took it out in November and the lease is for 2 years, will I have to notify them of the ban and hand the car back to them? I can't find anything on the internet that gives me an answer for this.
Thanks for all your help
Vanessa
 
Vanessa, questions, questions....!
first the easy one, drink driving carries a ban, but NO points so you do not have to re take your test as a new driver in your first 2 years.

next insurance ...... A conviction has to be declared for 5 years for insurance, not 11
for your DBS check, if it is your only conviction for any offence, then it becomes spent after 11 years and does not have to be declared, nor does it even show up on the check.

Your personal lease car will depend on the terms that you signed. If it has inclusive insurance, you will certainly have to tell them. If you do not get insurance with the package then I doubt that they will be interested, but your problem is that you will have signed a contract for 2 or 3 years. The fact that you cannot drive the car for a year is not their problem, they will still expect you to pay every month.....

For court, look smart. Make some notes but try to speak without them, even if you stumble. An honest apology, even if poorly delivered, will come across better than a polished speech. Explain that you miscalculated what drinks you had and ask if you could do a drink drive rehabilitation course to help you understand where you went wrong. The range is 12-16 months, with up to 25%?off for the course, so on 12 months you would get 3 months off, not 4 as was indicated to you
 
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Haha sorry as you can tell I was panicking a bit today about the possible consequences and I know that you know your stuff!
I really do appreciate how kind you have been to take the time to advise me it has been truly helpful.

I'm glad about not having to re-take my test because that would be a nightmare!

Ahh I see, I was reading on the Rehabilitations for Offenders Act that in certain jobs there are exemptions of convictions being spent after 5 or 11 years such as working in Finance which is what I work in so I was under the impression that I would always have to declare this conviction for life in any job in the finance industry even when the 5 and 11 years are up, is this not the case then as it is my only offence?

The personal lease for the car that I have does not come with insurance I have to get that separately as well as cost of servicing the car I only pay for leasing the car from them so that is a relief, a bit annoying that I will be paying for a car that I won't be using for 9 months but I suppose at least I will have the car when the ban is over as I have read online that most leasing companies will not lease you a car if you have motoring convictions within the last 5 years so I won't be able to lease another car when the lease on the one I have now comes to an end :/


Yes I agree with you with the court note situation, I don't want to appear wooden so I will make some notes but not read from the script because I am truly sorry and I want them to know that it was never my intention to drive over the limit and I wouldn't ever have one drink and drive after this, it is so reckless to think that you won't be over the limit it's so shameful, I have definitely learnt the hard way.

Yes the policeman did say it would be 8 months with the course not 9 but I have read that it is 9 months so I think he may have got a bit mixed up.
 
Vanessa,
Up until last year, a DBS check would show up any conviction, for life.
This was deemed to be unfair, and people should have the chance to have a fresh start for a single offence (not just drink driving) this is providing that offence is not on the 'exempt' list which is the usual serious stuff - sex offences, drugs supplying, serious assaults etc.
This was set at 11 years and applies to any occupation where DBS checks are carried out, including the finance industry.
If, however, a person then has a second conviction for any criminal offence, then both convictions are never spent and will always be disclosed.
i don't usually reply at 2.40am, but I am following certain events on Sky News.......!
 
Ahh I see, I think I misunderstood the Exemption list to be for certain professions rather than certain offences! That is such a relief as it would be a nightmare to carry that around my career for life
It is a pain that I will always have to get a VISA for countries like the USA but I can live with that.
Haha don't worry I stay up daft hours as well never helpful on a work night! ?
 
Vanessa,
there you go again, throwing in another bit, this time about the USA........
As of November 2014 the question on the ESTA form for entry to there without a visa has changed. It now askes if you have ever been arrested for an offence that involved serious injury to a person or serious damage to property. If yours is a simple drink drive with no serious injury to someone, or serious damage to property (other than your own vehicle) then you can happily tick the 'No' box and go to the USA without a visa.
I went to bed at 6am, and have been woken at 9am by my daughter who couldn't be bothered to stay up, but rang me to discuss the outcome...... Incidently, she lives within the only electoral boundary on the Scottish mainland to NOT vote for SNP!
 
Vanessa,
there you go again, throwing in another bit, this time about the USA........
As of November 2014 the question on the ESTA form for entry to there without a visa has changed. It now askes if you have ever been arrested for an offence that involved serious injury to a person or serious damage to property. If yours is a simple drink drive with no serious injury to someone, or serious damage to property (other than your own vehicle) then you can happily tick the 'No' box and go to the USA without a visa.
I went to bed at 6am, and have been woken at 9am by my daughter who couldn't be bothered to stay up, but rang me to discuss the outcome...... Incidently, she lives within the only electoral boundary on the Scottish mainland to NOT vote for SNP!

Haha I know, as you can guess I've fully been doing my research!
That is a relief as well so glad that the laws have changed as would hate to carry this my whole life!
Oh dear bet you are shattered! I was also up early and most of the night as well, teething 9 month old!
Sounds like David Cameron will be getting the majority vote round here which I am happy about
 
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