December is usually a month not short of post-work gatherings and boozy lunches. If you are planning on drinking alcohol at all, it is a given, be sure not to drive. First looks at the units of alcohol in common drinks, keeping in mind the newly-slashed alcohol consumption limits in relation to driving.

This article can be summarised very concisely: do not drink - at all - if you are intending to be the driver. Bear in mind that drink-driving and driving while drunk are not the same thing. Alcoholic beverages have an impact on motor skills - along with other skills - regardless of the amount consumed. In order to drive safely, your vision, reaction time and hearing abilities need to be up to scratch - and alcohol affects all three.

According to local reports, approximately 15 people die on Malta's roads every year because of vehicle collisions involving people who were over the legal alcohol limit while driving, not to mention all the non-fatal accidents caused. From being the amongst the least strict, Malta's new laws, approved last month, have now put Malta's drink-driving laws on a par with the EU average.

The recently-launched National Alcohol Policy has reduced the limit of alcohol consumption for most drivers from 0.8 g/l to 0.5 g/l. What does this mean exactly? To understand better, 0.8g/l is more or less equal to one unit of alcohol, meaning that 0.5g/l constitutes half a unit.

In addition, people riding motorcycles, people who have been driving for less than two years, taxi drivers and where the drivers of vehicles that either weigh over 3.5 tonnes, are carrying eight or more passengers or are carrying dangerous goods are concerned, the limit has been reduced to 0.2 g/l - in other words a mere sip of alcohol.

So let's take a closer look at exactly how many units are in a range of alcoholic drinks. One unit of alcohol is 10ml or 8g/l of pure alcohol. The amount that a motorist may drink depends on many factors, including age, stress levels, metabolism and the strength of the drink. However, according to reports on the subject, on average, 0.5 g/l equates to half a pint of beer or a small glass of wine.

Alternatives

If you expect to have an alcoholic drink when you are out, it would make sense to either designate one of your group - who would be happy not to touch alcohol during the event - as your driver or else get a taxi home.