Body size myth over breathalyser scotched

Men thinking body size will allow them to beat the morning-after breathalyser is the height of folly, according to a survey.
By The Newsroom
Published 31st Dec 2012, 06:00 BST

Tests show that height and weight of drinkers has little or no bearing on their fitness to drive the day after an alcohol-fuelled evening.

Yet 77 per cent of drivers reckon body size is important when it come to how quickly the body processes alcohol, a poll from 
Direct Line car insurance 
showed.

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And 70 per cent believe gender is also a vital factor in determining whether someone is legally fit to drive, said the poll which was also conducted by breathalyser company AlcoSense.

The two organisations joined the Transport Research Laboratory for an experiment.

A man weighing 11st 6lb (73kg) and just under 5ft 10in (177cm) tall and a woman weighing 9st 6lb (60kg) and 5ft 5in (165cm) were tested after consuming the same amount of alcohol. Tested the next morning, the woman was well below the permitted alcohol level while the man was over.

The survey also found 25 per cent of drinkers knock back lots of water before they go to bed, while eight per cent eat large quantities of food after a night’s drinking.