DRIVERS you have been warned!

That’s the message from Police Scotland this week as they launched their new Don’t Risk It Campaign.

The campaign’s launch comes on the same day that the new drink drive limit came into effect.

The new lower limit is now 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. This means it is no longer safe to have one pint of lager or a glass of wine before getting behind the wheel, so the advice from police is - have none and stay safe. Don’t Risk It.

Officers from Police Scotland were in Irvine’s Bridgegate this week campaigning to the public to let them know of the new limit and the risks involved.

Since the changes came into effect on Friday December 5, the likelihood of being caught is now greater than ever before.

It’s estimated that Police Scotland stop over 80,000 vehicles each month, with around 20,000 offences detected.

The Drink Driving campaign is all about the devastating consequences of being caught and the message that Scotland remains tough on drink and driving.

According to police many people don’t realise that if you’re convicted of drink driving you’ll get a 20-year minimum criminal record.

If the offence is also punished by a prison sentence, then you get a minimum 40-year criminal record.

For example, if at 18 years of age, you are convicted of a drink driving offence, you will have a criminal record for the next 22 years.

If the offence also merits a prison sentence, you will have a criminal record for the next 52 years.

Depending on the type of job you have, or that you may apply for, a momentary decision can have very long-lasting consequences.

Don’t let the consequences affect the rest of your life. Don’t risk it.

Statistics reveal that one in ten road deaths in Scotland involve drink drivers The new campaign’s aim is also to ensure every driver knows where they stand in terms of the law.

It’s worth knowing that the Police have a commitment to breathalyse any driver who: has been stopped for any moving traffic offence (using a mobile phone, a faulty brake light, not wearing a seatbelt); they suspect has been drinking or taking drugs; has been involved in an accident Even if you’re under the limit, you can still be charged with impairment through drink or drugs.

The vehicle forfeiture scheme targets repeat offenders, and also firsttime offenders who are three times the limit or more or who refuse to provide a sample for analysis. This scheme means you could lose your car, for good.

You can also easily still be over the limit the morning after an evening’s drinking: It can take roughly 10 hours to be alcohol-free after drinking one bottle of wine. It can take roughly 13 hours to be alcohol-free after drinking four pints of strong lager or ale.

Drug driving can affect the way you drive in a similar way to drink driving. Drugs affect different people in different ways but, contrary to what many claim, they definitely do not have a positive effect on your driving ability. This applies to illegal drugs and many medicinal drugs.