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Four out of five drivers suspect they may have driven while over the alcohol limit the morning after a night of drinking, according to an AA survey.
More than 11,000 AA members took part in the online Populus poll, which also indicated that nearly half of all motorists know someone who drinks and drives. While evening drink-driving convictions have decreased over the last decade, the AA said, morning convictions were increasing.
The president of the AA, Edmund King, said: "We asked, have you ever thought you were over the limit after a night out and still drove? Eighty per cent considered that they could've been but still chose to drive.
"You go to a party until 2 in the morning and have to be up at 6.30am to go to work. Government guidance says it takes at least one hour for half a pint of beer, a glass of wine or one measure of spirit to get out of your system. One and a half bottles of wine is around nine of those units. It then depends on how much you've eaten, how strong the wine was, what your metabolic rate is. Apparently mood can also affect your alcohol absorption. The problem is the difficulty in judging - you can't have 100% certainty."
The survey also found that drivers aged 25-34 and those in Scotland were the most likely to often consider that they might be over the limit the morning after. The over-65s were the least likely to consider if they were still too drunk to drive.
"Most people have the message of not drinking and driving in the evening but in the morning most people say they don't feel drunk. But you're still groggy and your reaction times are slower. A surprising number of people are over the limit when they are breathalysed in the morning. People are going to go out and party but if you know you have to be up at 6am, at 11pm you need to stop drinking," King said.
Chief Inspector Donald McMillan, head of road policing for Central Scotland police, said the survey results were "extremely worrying".
"This just gives me more drive to work towards stamping out this irresponsible behaviour which causes people to die and suffer life-changing injuries on our roads," he added.
The national secretary for the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving, Carol Whittingham, said: "It's shocking but not surprising in the least. Over the last seven or eight years more and more people are taking this risk."
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