From GIS, Cayman islands Government

Alcohol affects drivers’ ability to drive safely. It slows reactions, creates a feeling of over-confidence, impairs judgment of speed and distance, and reduces the field of vision.

The legal blood alcohol level for a person driving a vehicle is 100 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Even though this is a clear-cut rule, there is no failsafe guide to keeping under the legal alcohol limit, or how much to drink and still drive safely. After only a few drinks, all people are impaired and some are legally intoxicated. The only safe option is not to drink and drive.

There are a number of options that with a little planning will get persons home safely after having few drinks. These range from assigning a designated driver, to walking to the restaurant or bar, calling a cab, or asking the bartender/restaurant staff for help. If you see a friend that has been drinking, follow these same steps to keep them safe and keep our roads accident free.

Drivers can still lose their licences if they drive the morning after drinking, and are still over the legal alcohol level. Persons who refuse to give a breath, blood or urine sample for analysis can get a prison term of up to six months and a $1,000 fine.

Driving drunk is a criminal offence and will go on an individual’s permanent criminal record. It carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison, a $1,000 fine, and a loss of license for 12 months, for a first offence. Drivers who kill someone while driving drunk, receive a maximum sentence of ten years in jail and a minimum five-year driving ban.

Drunk drivers are easy to spot. Keep an eye out for these signs to keep our roads safe: straddling the centre lane or lane marker; almost striking an object or vehicle; taking extremely wide turns; weaving from one side of the road to the other; driving slowly; driving on the wrong side of the road or on the shoulder; following another car too closely; braking; stopping and signalling inapp