Don’t fall for these drink driving myths this Christmas
- 82% of Brits believe urban myths or misinformation about how to reduce the impact of alcohol on their body
- More than two in five (42%) people wrongly think that eating a meal before driving helps curb the effects of alcohol
- Awareness levels of the legal limits are also low, with three in five (62%) wrongly believing they are based on units of alcohol consumed
- Police are expected to perform over 50,000 breath tests in December alone, with 1 in 10 people testing positive or refusing to take a test
With Christmas party season underway, and the police set to step up their breath testing, new research¹ from Direct Line motor insurance shows that an alarming 4 in 5 (82%) Brits wrongly believe common drink driving myths and misconceptions.
When quizzed about drink driving, the most common misconception, held by 42% of Brits, is that eating during or after drinking helps to speed up alcohol absorption before getting behind the wheel. Another 28% were unsure whether this was true. Three in 10 (30%) also believe that drinking soft drinks or water alongside alcohol lessens the effect on the body. While a quarter (25%) think that men can have two standard glasses of wine (175ml each) and women can have one before exceeding the legal limit.
December typically sees police forces across the UK conduct more breath tests than any other month, with over 50,000 tests conducted in 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available)2. Believing these urban myths can lead people to drive when they shouldn’t, putting themselves, passengers, and other road users at risk.
Table One: Common drink driving misconceptions wrongly believed by drivers
| Common myth | True or false? | Percentage of drivers who got this wrong or didn’t know |
| Having a meal or other food at your Christmas party will help absorb the alcohol faster. | False. Eating may slow the absorption of alcohol, but it does not speed up its elimination from the body or reduce its effects. | Seven in 10 (68%) drivers thought eating a meal would help absorb alcohol faster or didn’t know. |
| Men can have two standard glasses of wine (175ml each) and women can have one standard glass of wine (175ml) and be within the legal limit to drive. | False. Alcohol affects individuals differently depending on weight, age, sex, metabolism, and other factors; there is no safe rule for number of drinks. | Two thirds (67%) of UK drivers got this wrong or didn’t know. |
| Drinking soft drinks / water alongside alcohol changes how the body metabolises alcohol and helps to lessen the effect of alcohol on your body | False. Water or soft drinks may keep you hydrated, but they do not affect how quickly your body processes alcohol. | More than three in five (61%) drivers got this wrong or didn’t know. |
| If you are under the legal blood alcohol limit, then you are always safe to drive. | False. Even small amounts of alcohol can impair your ability to drive, and you can still be prosecuted if deemed unfit to drive, even when under the legal limit. | Over a third (37%) of drivers were unaware of this. |
| The drink driving alcohol limit is measured by the number of units of alcohol you consume. | False. The limit is measured by the amount of alcohol in a driver’s breath, blood, or urine – not by units consumed, as alcohol affects people differently. | Nearly three in five (57%) drivers got this wrong or didn’t know. |
| The United Kingdom has the same legal alcohol limit for driving regardless of where you live. | False. Scotland has a lower legal alcohol limit (50mg per 100ml blood) than England, Wales, and Northern Ireland (80mg per 100ml blood). | Almost eight in 10 (78%) UK drivers got this wrong or didn’t know. |
| You are the best judge of whether or not you are safe to drive or not. | False: Alcohol impairs your judgement making you a very bad judge of whether you are safe to drive. | Direct Line’s testing found over a quarter (27%) of drivers expected to still be under the legal limits, but when tested, two fifths (43%) measured on or above it. |
| If you suck on a copper penny it will lower the concentration of alcohol detectable by a breathalyser test. | False. This is a myth – nothing you eat, drink or ingest (including pennies) can mask or reduce your breath alcohol level for a breathalyser. | Almost two fifths (39%) of UK drivers got this wrong or didn’t know. |
Source: Direct Line Motor Insurance, 2025
Direct Line also conducted an experiment3 in several city centres across the UK, asking people who had been drinking for their views on drink driving limits and whether they felt safe to drive. A shocking one in four (25%) of those who had consumed four or more drinks said they felt safe to drive, revealing a concerning lack of sound judgement.
When asked what they do when deciding if they are safe to drive after having a drink, 44% of participants said they drink water, 38% said they eat something to help absorb the alcohol, and 23% take a shower to freshen up. Four in 10 (39%) said they use their own judgement to decide whether they are safe to drive.
Awareness levels of drink driving limits were also found to be very low amongst UK adults, with 82% (45 million) unable to identify the limits correctly. Nearly three in five (57%) drivers wrongly believe that it is measured by the units of alcohol consumed, rather than by the amount of alcohol detected in a driver’s breath, blood or urine.
Thankfully, most people (80%) were aware that being under the legal drink driving limit does not necessarily mean that you are safe to drive and recognised that alcohol can impact everyone differently, and even small amounts can impair performance.
Drink driving limits vary across the UK, but three quarters (75%) of people were unaware that the legal alcohol limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland differs from that in Scotland4. In Scotland the limits are 50mg per 100ml of blood in Scotland, whereas it is 80mg per 100ml in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, leaving potential for confusion.
A high proportion of those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (83%) and Scotland (62%) could not correctly identify what the legal drink driving limit is in their country, with almost two thirds (63%) saying they felt drink drive limits should be expressed in a way that is easier to understand.
Those in Scotland were the most likely to correctly identify the drink driving limit for their country, with 38% answering correctly, compared to 26% of those in Wales, 17% of those in England, and 13% in Northern Ireland.
When asked about how frequently drink driving limits are updated, nearly three quarters of people (74%) either had no idea (60%) or guessed incorrectly that the drink driving limits are updated every five years (13%). In reality, they have not been updated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 1967.
Commenting, Matt Pernet, Head of Motor Insurance at Direct Line, says: “While December is a time for celebration and festivities, a worrying number of people continue to believe urban myths related to drink driving, and use their own (impaired) judgement to gauge whether they are safe to drive after drinking. It is important that these myths are debunked as these behaviours can put drivers, other road users and pedestrians at significant risk.
“If you want to have a drink this Christmas and still need to get home, the best course of action is to find an alternative way to travel.”
- ENDS -
Notes to Editors
Research conducted by Opinium on behalf of Direct Line Motor Insurance on a sample of 2,000 UK Adults (~1,500 UK drivers) from 3rd – 6th June 2025.
Police powers and procedures: Roads policing, to December 2023 - https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-powers-and-procedures-roads-policing-to-december-2023#documents
Research conducted by Boscombe Insights Advisory who interviewed 97 people who had been drinking that day (but were not driving) on whether they felt safe to drive, and then breath tested them. The interviews took place in Glasgow, Northampton and Cardiff during June and July 2025.
In the UK, the Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for setting overall drink-driving policy and strategy, including legal alcohol limits. As part of the Scotland Act 2012, the Scottish Government was handed devolved powers to set their own drink driving limits.
For further information, please contact:
Direct Line
Unni Henry
Unni.henry@directlinegroup.com
About Direct Line
Started in 1985, Direct Line became the first UK insurance company to use the telephone as its main channel of communication. It provides motor, home and pet insurance cover direct to customers by phone or on-line and is part of the Aviva Group.
Customers can find out more about Direct Line products or get a quote by calling 0345 246 3761 or visiting www.directline.com