NEARLY ONE IN six people say they have driven the morning after a night of drinking while unsure of their blood-alcohol levels at least once in the past year, according to a survey from AA Ireland. 

AA Ireland, the insurance company, has issued a warning to drivers of the dangers of getting behind the wheel the morning after a night out. 

Over 9% of the 6,000 people surveyed said they had driven the day after a night out with possibly illegal blood-alcohol levels once in the past year. 

Nearly 6% of those surveyed said they had taken this risk up to five times.

The company said people should avoid driving if they still feel hungover after a night out as there is a risk of being over the legal limit for blood-alcohol levels. 

“Quite often people believe that the idea that it takes the body an hour to process a unit of alcohol is a hard and fast rule, but it’s not that clear cut,” said AA’s director of consumer affairs Conor Faughnan. 

“Generally speaking, if you still have a pounding head and you still feel hungover, then there is a strong likelihood that you may still be over the limit and you shouldn’t be getting behind the wheel.” 

84% of people surveyed said they have never driven the morning after a night out while unsure if their blood-alcohol levels were above legal limits in the past year.

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The HSE said it takes most people one to two hours to process one standard drink, which equates to half a pint, one pub measure of spirits or a small glass of wine. 

This means after three standard drinks, you should wait at least three hours before driving. 

75% of road fatalities that took place between 10pm and 6am had a positive toxicology report for alcohol from 2014 to 2018, the Road Safety Authority said in October this year.