Calling our older Emerald Islanders

[Desert Orchid]

The brother has just been on the phone talking about a picture he got through on his phone.

It's supposed to be a picture of an Irish newspaper article from 1971. In it, the article laments the reduction of the drink-driving limit from 22 pints to 12 pints.

I can't have this. I started driving in 1973 and the limit here worked out at about three pints. I remember feeling bad about driving after four pints in 1975 and I knew guys who would have been struggling to be coherent after two pints.

I reckon the item in question is either an old April Fool item or some other made-up apocryphal piece.

Do any of our more senior Irish forumites have any recollection of those limits or that story?

 

[Therightroad]

I can definitely remember it been about 6 pints in the late 70s .
In the 90s it might have dropped to two pints , i remember asking the local policeman in the pub one night after drinking 4 pints did he think I’d be ok to drive home ?
He said if I wasn’t able to drive home after 4 pints my license should be taken off me lol
Different times and over the last ten years it’s become very very uncommon . Drugs and Drug driving is the huge problem sadly these days in Ireland .

 

[Desert Orchid]

i remember asking the local policeman in the pub one night after drinking 4 pints did he think I’d be ok to drive home ?

I remember one evening in 1977/78 taking the car into Glasgow city centre to have 'a pint' with a mate (I had some in those days). On returning to the car after closing time (so about 10.15pm), I was dismayed to see another two cars parked very closely in front and behind mine. Knowing I was over the limit and slightly worried about what would have been a tricky manoeuvre for me sober, I spotted a couple of polis at the corner of the block, approached them rather sheepishly and asked for their help. I explained that I hadn't been driving for too long and that I was worried about getting my car out of a tight situation. One of them went into public hero mode, asked for my keys and with some natty lock-to-lock and clutch control had the car out in no time, waving us off with a cheery, "Safe home, sir." One of the good guys.