Hi all, first post here so may as well get something answered thats bin bugging me.
Is there a law regarding caffeine and driving? I ask as i had an incident a couple of weeks back...
I play drums in a punk rock band and turned up to a practise after working hard all day so was pretty knackered, so needed perking up. After 4 cans of redbull and a few of those caffienated mints i was pretty lively, plus i had been drinking coffee all day (as most people do)
At the end of the practise i felt pretty weird, obviously too much caffeine. Now is there a law or anything regarding this? and does it cover anything else such as cough medicine etc?
Essex Escy replied
driving uder the influence??
Cruise Liaison Officers replied
Section 4, Road Traffic Act 1988
'A person who, when driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place, is unfit to drive through drink or drugs is guilty of an offence.'
If police could prove that
a) Your driving was affected
b) It was due to caffeine in your blood, yes you could be prosecuted.
The tricky bit is detecting exactly what the drug is. Some officers are trained in Field Impairment Tessting, and it is amazing how acurately you can predict which drugs someone has taken from physical signs, but caffeine is not a drug we would be looking for. Routine lab tests screen for common types of drug but I don't know if they would show up caffeine.
The point is though, if it makes you feel bad, should you be driving?
Caffeine has a nasty trick of perking you up in the short term, but equally causing you to become tired very rapidly, so you can suddenly shutdown, which is not good if you are driving. The only cure for feeling tired is sleep.
The law applies to anything that is a drug, either legal, illegal or prescribed drugs.
And Red Bull is banned in France on health grounds due to the chemicals in it!!
Dave Cole
_________________
T/Inspector Kevin Clarke and Pc Ade Hales, Eastern Area Road Policing, Acle.
Sgt Steve Harvey and Pc Andy Warnes, Central Area Road Policing, Wymondham.
Inspector Paul Rush and A/Sgt Dave Cole Western Area Road Policing, Swaffham.
GoToInstant-Redline replied
thats a very interesting point.
so its more of a question of, are you fit to drive, rather than what have you had if the substances are legal. make sence to me.
"Glucuronolactone is a naturally-occurring metabolite, a carbohydrate produced by the human metabolic system.
a can of Red Bull contains 600 mg of the substance per can, which has been suggested is 250 times a person's normal daily intake. No proof has yet emerged that this would pose a danger of any sort, but it is a large enough number in itself to evoke concern.
Denmark, Canada, Malaysia, and France have banned the sale of Red Bull. These countries cite concern over the beverage's high level of caffeine."
without a doubt caffeine is the most toxic substance in your house! by weight its more lethal to you than petrol or acertone(nail poslish remover) by around a hundred times.
i'd stick to 8 hours sleep if i were your
so totally never knew this
Is there a law regarding caffeine and driving? I ask as i had an incident a couple of weeks back...
I play drums in a punk rock band and turned up to a practise after working hard all day so was pretty knackered, so needed perking up. After 4 cans of redbull and a few of those caffienated mints i was pretty lively, plus i had been drinking coffee all day (as most people do)
At the end of the practise i felt pretty weird, obviously too much caffeine. Now is there a law or anything regarding this? and does it cover anything else such as cough medicine etc?
Essex Escy replied
driving uder the influence??
Cruise Liaison Officers replied
Section 4, Road Traffic Act 1988
'A person who, when driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place, is unfit to drive through drink or drugs is guilty of an offence.'
If police could prove that
a) Your driving was affected
b) It was due to caffeine in your blood, yes you could be prosecuted.
The tricky bit is detecting exactly what the drug is. Some officers are trained in Field Impairment Tessting, and it is amazing how acurately you can predict which drugs someone has taken from physical signs, but caffeine is not a drug we would be looking for. Routine lab tests screen for common types of drug but I don't know if they would show up caffeine.
The point is though, if it makes you feel bad, should you be driving?
Caffeine has a nasty trick of perking you up in the short term, but equally causing you to become tired very rapidly, so you can suddenly shutdown, which is not good if you are driving. The only cure for feeling tired is sleep.
The law applies to anything that is a drug, either legal, illegal or prescribed drugs.
And Red Bull is banned in France on health grounds due to the chemicals in it!!
Dave Cole
_________________
T/Inspector Kevin Clarke and Pc Ade Hales, Eastern Area Road Policing, Acle.
Sgt Steve Harvey and Pc Andy Warnes, Central Area Road Policing, Wymondham.
Inspector Paul Rush and A/Sgt Dave Cole Western Area Road Policing, Swaffham.
GoToInstant-Redline replied
thats a very interesting point.
so its more of a question of, are you fit to drive, rather than what have you had if the substances are legal. make sence to me.
"Glucuronolactone is a naturally-occurring metabolite, a carbohydrate produced by the human metabolic system.
a can of Red Bull contains 600 mg of the substance per can, which has been suggested is 250 times a person's normal daily intake. No proof has yet emerged that this would pose a danger of any sort, but it is a large enough number in itself to evoke concern.
Denmark, Canada, Malaysia, and France have banned the sale of Red Bull. These countries cite concern over the beverage's high level of caffeine."
without a doubt caffeine is the most toxic substance in your house! by weight its more lethal to you than petrol or acertone(nail poslish remover) by around a hundred times.
i'd stick to 8 hours sleep if i were your
so totally never knew this
hock:
