With Summer fast approaching and the weather starting to warm up, happy hour is well and truly upon us, and the temptation for a few post-work drinks in the local pub is almost impossible to decline. All sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? But what a lot of people don't know is how differently alcohol affects men and women- socially, psychologically and physiologically.
Let's take an example.
If one man and one woman (of similar height and weight) both had 3 glasses of wine, the woman would be affected much faster initially and for much longer. This is because women have more total body fat and less total body water than men, and as a result alcohol metabolises much slower, resulting in a higher blood alcohol level even though they have both drank the same amount. Women also produce less of the enzyme ADH which controls the speed in which alcohol breaks down in the body.
The other aspect to consider is the psychological effect on women, and how they are more vulnerable than men when under the influence of alcohol. Women are much more likely to feel the more extreme effects of alcohol. This includes (but is not limited to) blackouts, memory issues, mood and behavioral changes and most worryingly, they are more likely to develop an addiction. Women are also more likely to turn to alcohol in response to any negativity in their life, thus leading to higher rates of anxiety and depression, where men are more likely to drink in response to positive events.
So why is this a concern for motoring offences?
In recent months, we have seen record breaking figures from women who have been charged with drink driving, quite often at the top end of the breath reading at 130mg (prison begins at 120mg). But when it comes to sentencing, the penalties between men and women can be quite different.
If a man and a woman were both in court for a drink driving offence, they had both blown 130mg on the breath machine and they had both pleaded guilty to drink driving, then they should both receive the same sentence - right? Technically, yes. However, the court doesn't solely look at things from a technical perspective. Sentencing is carefully constructed, and every element of that person's offence must be weighed up against how much it will impact their daily life. Some of the things a court will consider could be:
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Do they have children?
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Are they a single parent?
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How will they get their children to school?
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How will the child(ren) be affected if their parent went to prison?
In most cases, a married woman with children will be given a lesser sentence than a married man in exactly the same situation. Is this fair and in the interest of gender equality? Probably not. Is it how sentencing works? Unfortunately, in most cases, yes.
Some statistics
When facing a drink driving conviction, drivers are usually given the opportunity to go on a drink-drive rehabilitation course in order to reduce the length of their ban and further educate them on the consequences of drink driving. According to data from IAM RoadSmart's drink-drive course, UK drivers are on average 2.1 times over the legal alcohol limit when caught by the police, and although men outnumber women 4 to one, females in their 30's were found to be 2 and a half times over the limit which is higher than any other group. In spite of this, women still received on average a 90-day shorter driving ban than males in the same situation.
Have you been charged with a drink driving offence?
If you have been charged with a drink driving offence, speak to one of our driving solicitors today on 01514228020. We offer free initial advice on all motoring offences and will tell you instantly whether we feel you have a defence.
