SimonT

and drinking a beer.

Is it illegal?

alan12112

don't think so pal

How come?

timb551

why wouldnt it be legal.

Cant see why having a bottle of beer or a can of coke is any different. as long as the beer doesnt take you over the limit.

cant think that its a paticularly clever move to drink a beer while driving but i wouldnt have thought its illegal

alan12112

Why can't the beer take you over the limit?

You are allowed to be quite drunk and be in the passenger seat so I think your wrong on that front unless i've read what you've said incorrectly?

rssteve

i think you will find you are not aloud any open alcohol(sp) in a car.

TurboShed

Yep I think the drink drive law includes something about there being no open containers of alcohol in a car. Stupid if you ask me and impossible to enforce (what if it's a limo and someone in the back opens a drink from the bar!).

But then stupid law enforcement is the British norm.

Sunil_FiestaRS1800

iTrader: (1)

I dont htink it is illegal. awhile back someone reported seeing me drinking a can of stella while driving. I wasnt drinking obviouslly but my two mates i had in the car where, and i was holding his open can while parked as he went into the shop.

Police came rocketing up my arse a few mins up the road and pulled us. Smelt my breath and could see i hadnt been drinking but mates where and let us carry on

timb551

i wasnt saying that the beer wouldnt take you over the limit i was saying that if you had one bottle of fosters and if your body can cope with that then it wouldnt take you over the limit and as such not be illegal........??

rssteve

so where did the not illegal part come from? Mabyt he officer does not know the law, or maby as it wasn't a drink drive incident they did not really want the hassle it all.

Im guessing the OP may have been stopped for this, why else would he be asking?

Luca

iTrader: (2)

You can't drink on public transport buses or hired caoches.
Yet you can drink on trains and planes.


A car is not public transport and the police can't do anything unless they are breaking the law. Unless the driver is caused to drive dnagerously through the behaviour of the drinking passengers it is not illegal.

Graceland

Yet under the Railway Byelaws section 4, parts 1, 2 and 3 inclusive says pretty much the opposite unless purchased onboard a train which has alcohol for sale in the rastraunt/bar/buffet/trolly service.



Enforce it at your peril though

Lee Reynolds

but why would it matter if the passenger was over the limit or not?

DanCossie

iTrader: (1)

exaclty so how do black cabs and taxi drivers take drunk people home?????

what do you have to do wait in town till you sober up

Benni

I can just see Mr black cab pulling out his breatheliser.


Benni.

Jimboxr4x4

A passenger can drink alcohol. Also you can have open or otherwise bottles/cans in the car - it is illegal in America I believe, but not in the UK.

In fact a driver could be swigging beer as he drives and wouldn't be committing a drink drive offence (as long as not over the limit) - although he might commit other offences of not in proper control of the vehicle etc.

The only time a passenger being over the limit is an offence is if the driver is a learner under instruction by the person who is over the limit. In this instant the passenger could be breathalised and prosecuted etc.

Disclaimer - I'm not a traffic pig and in fact I absolutely hate traffic pigs. Just to clear that up.

nickfargo

in a limo it is also illeagal to drink or eat in the limo as now it is portrayed as a public service vehcile and the drivers passangers will get fined and also the company proprietor could also be fined and even a prison sentance if the case is very serious.

MUFFINMAN

This depends on how the limousine is regitered though- national operators, local operators, council regitered and the law/vosa all read 'the law' in different ways in different parts of the country.

Twellsie

iTrader: (1)

it is illegal to have a open bottle or can of alcohol in a car, passenger or driver, limos get away with it as the driving area is seperate from the the passenger area

fuzzy

thats the problem with the internet, people confusing their opinion for facts....choose for yourself which one you want to believe

Lee Reynolds

Paul, swallow?

Nah.....

Dicko&Vacant

iTrader: (3)

ive had this too, paul16v off here had about 20 cans of fosters and he was a passenger in my car so traffic cops hauled me in for breath test as they could see he was drunk

and they made him pick all his cans up off the floor

foreverwhite

ive always wanted to drive down the road with a bottle of vodka filled with water and see how many people i can get to kick up a stink

makaveli96

The British law is getting stupid by the day why don’t they concentrate more on these suicide bombers going about and other serious crimes.

Jimboxr4x4

Act and section please as its news to me. In America maybe but not over here.

rst in breaking

iTrader: (2)

to hell with it lol, my passengers are welcome to drink in my car, you need a right miserble copper to nick u if your sober

Jimboxr4x4

Never been stopped by traffic pigs before?!!!!

carv

i got 1 even better
how can some one in the passenger seat get charged with a D.U.I when there not driving...some stupid pig huh...any way that and how can they charge you 3 times BY THE SAME PIG for not having insurance when after the first charge and the cop knowing you alrdy dont have insurance isnt supose to charge you after that I THINK.. (i was trying to keep my boy from going to jail for a bullshit charge (dui in the passinger seat...-.-..) so i was telling the cop to take me insted of him because he is alrdy on probation) so for so many bullshit thing coming from the same redneck pig me and about 4 other people are taking him to court (hoping he gets fired so he can get his ass beat..) on over 5 harisment's filed aginst him SRY FOR MISSPELLED WORDS I WAS TYPING FAST AND NOT LOOKING :\