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When
Kev Smith was sent on a driver rehabilitation course as part of
his punishment for drink-driving it inspired a brainwave to stop
other drivers losing their licences the same way he did.
So
the 23-year-old created a website showing just how long it takes
for alcohol to clear the body.
People
don't realise they are still over the limit the morning after.
Nor did I, till I got caught. |
| Kev
Smith |
People
who log on to Am I Over the Limit.Com can
key how much they had to drink the night before and get a rough
calculation of when it will be safe to drive again.
Kev,
from Churchdown, had no idea he was over the limit when he was stopped
by police for speeding in Cheltenham as he drove to work in March
2002.
The
night before, the IT worker had sunk seven or eight pints of lager
to celebrate with his footballing pals after they won a game.
He
had no idea the drink would stay in his body for almost 19 hours.
"I
woke up late and was in panic about getting to work on time,"
he said.
"I
felt rough from drinking the night before but certainly didn't feel
drunk.
"People
don't realise they are still over the limit the morning after.
"Nor
did I, till I got caught!"
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| Kev
Smith's website warns of the dangers of 'morning after' drinking |
But
a breath-test revealed he had 45 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres
of his breath. The legal limit is 35.
Kev
was banned from driving for 12 months which was reduced to nine
months when he completed a driver rehabilitation course.
It
was the first time he had ever been in trouble with the law and
opened his eyes to the lethal effects of drink driving
We
met a mother of a girl who was killed in a road accident. It
made me feel lucky to be caught because I could have killed
someone and gone to prison. |
| Kev
Smith |
"They
showed us lots of gruesome images of people killed by drink drivers.
"We
met a mother of a girl who was killed in a road accident. That was
daunting.
"It
made me feel lucky to be caught because I could have killed someone
and gone to prison.
"The
course should become part of the driving test. It would make a lot
of these 17-year-olds think about their driving."
His
mates were shocked at Kev's conviction and didn't realise they could
be over the limit after a night out.
"They
said they could have been caught any number of times over the years,"
he said.
So
Kev used the skills he developed on his University of Gloucestershire
computer science degree to set up the website, which has won praise
from police and road safety campaigners.
Dave
Radford, road safety manager at Gloucestershire County Council,
warned: "There's a danger with using the calculator as it isn't
an exact science."
But
he added: "The important thing is that drinking and driving
has caused him to change his life and that can only be a good thing."
»
Are you sure you're under the limit?
»
Calculate the alcohol units in your drink
What
are your views on drink driving? Have you ever done it? Is Kev's
website a good idea? Have your say by filling in the form below.
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