Drink / Drive Position - Motorhome in Pub Car Park
Discussion
Exactly. I have stayed in many many places and never once have the police knocked on.
I never drank whilst out in our motorhome just on the basis that I always liked to have my full senses at all times esp in the middle of no where but if you are sure you are not going to need to move and you are sure you are safe / secure then a few drinks is no problem. What I would advise against is getting really drunk. Save that for at home because then you are asking for trouble.
I never drank whilst out in our motorhome just on the basis that I always liked to have my full senses at all times esp in the middle of no where but if you are sure you are not going to need to move and you are sure you are safe / secure then a few drinks is no problem. What I would advise against is getting really drunk. Save that for at home because then you are asking for trouble.
LoonR1 said:
Given that would be the defence and after the fact, you still need to explain why plod would knock on the back door to the motorhome in the first place.
Because they've had a phone call to tell them somebody's been drinking in the pub all night, and has just left with keys in hand. Or they happened to see somebody weaving across the car park.I'd agree it's massively unlikely. But it's edge cases we're talking about here, right? It's also those very edge cases that make or break the value of legislation.
TooMany2cvs said:
LoonR1 said:
Given that would be the defence and after the fact, you still need to explain why plod would knock on the back door to the motorhome in the first place.
Because they've had a phone call to tell them somebody's been drinking in the pub all night, and has just left with keys in hand. Or they happened to see somebody weaving across the car park.I'd agree it's massively unlikely. But it's edge cases we're talking about here, right? It's also those very edge cases that make or break the value of legislation.
Don't be so paranoid.
Not a legal answer (that has been done to death I see) but over the last 15 years or so there have been hundreds of occassions where my dad and I/mum have parked up in laybys, pub car parks and the like, had dinner and a bottle of wine before turning in and not once has there ever been any interest from the Police. Even on the occassion afew years back when a partol car happened to pull into the layby we were in as we were say outside draining the last drops of a nice chilled Samur.
Mr Will said:
My understanding is that a lot of the "sleeping in car" convictions are based upon the assumption that you will wake early and drive home before you've fully sobered up. I'm not saying it is never misapplied, but used in that way it makes a certain amount of sense.
What a load of crap. Should I worry about the police arresting me in my hotel room after a works party? I might get up in the morning and drive home. It's not Minority Report
Mr Will said:
My understanding is that a lot of the "sleeping in car" convictions are based upon the assumption that you will wake early and drive home before you've fully sobered up. I'm not saying it is never misapplied, but used in that way it makes a certain amount of sense.
And in the case of trucks in truckstops etc how does it differ as most have a pub on site full of truck drivers having a drink before retiring to the cab bunk.LordHaveMurci said:
If there were two or more drunk people in the motorhome, all legally entitled to drive it, and none of them had the keys on their person, who would be charged with DD?
Since we have owned a keyless ignition car i have wondered how we go on when the wife is driving because I've had a drink but the car keys are still in my pocket 
ks CaptainSlow said:
Antony Moxey said:
He wouldn't be liable to prosecution. I asked a policeman this exact same question as there are a lot of motorhomes that park on the sea front at Exmouth on a public road - they are all parked legally btw - and asked what would happen if they had a BBQ on the beach with a few drinks and then slept in their motorhome overnight?
The policeman replied nothing would happen so long as they weren't in the driver's seat and the keys weren't in the ignition, and also so long as they weren't causing any sort of disturbance. Besides, if the OP's mate's in a pub car park then isn't he not liable to a DD charge as he's not on a public road anyway?
Incorrect.The policeman replied nothing would happen so long as they weren't in the driver's seat and the keys weren't in the ignition, and also so long as they weren't causing any sort of disturbance. Besides, if the OP's mate's in a pub car park then isn't he not liable to a DD charge as he's not on a public road anyway?
OP..ask the Landlord to hold the keys until the morning.
They did this a couple of times and then they just left me alone.
The landlady did a cracking breakfast:-)
gruffalo said:
Did it for many years in my youth when I went to a pub in the middle of no where and slept in the car, plod did come knocking and asked me where the keys were and why I was sleeping in the car, explained they checked over the car didn't find any keys and wished me a good night.
They did this a couple of times and then they just left me alone.
The landlady did a cracking breakfast:-)
A car isn't a motorhome though. They're probably right, if a little petty, to ask you in a car, but not in a motorhome. They did this a couple of times and then they just left me alone.
The landlady did a cracking breakfast:-)
guindilias said:
They used to bust people at weekend car festivals, etc. for this quite a lot, particularly camper vans. Easy targets.
Now most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
What a load of cobblersNow most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
Elroy Blue said:
guindilias said:
They used to bust people at weekend car festivals, etc. for this quite a lot, particularly camper vans. Easy targets.
Now most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
What a load of cobblersNow most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
Elroy Blue said:
guindilias said:
They used to bust people at weekend car festivals, etc. for this quite a lot, particularly camper vans. Easy targets.
Now most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
What a load of cobblersNow most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
Read the link I posted earlier; READ IT!!!
This happens constantly in campsites in the north of Scotland, I can't speak for England. As guindilias said, it's an easy target, mainly because it's an appalling piece of legislation that requires the accused to prove that he was not going to do something. Utterly ludicrous.
J
LoonR1 said:
Elroy Blue said:
guindilias said:
They used to bust people at weekend car festivals, etc. for this quite a lot, particularly camper vans. Easy targets.
Now most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
What a load of cobblersNow most festivals I go to people swap keys with their mate, the guy parked up beside them, whatever, to stop them having access to the keys if plod comes knocking.
We have all had to much to drink.......... just walk away and sleep it off.
LoonR1 said:
Mr Will said:
My understanding is that a lot of the "sleeping in car" convictions are based upon the assumption that you will wake early and drive home before you've fully sobered up. I'm not saying it is never misapplied, but used in that way it makes a certain amount of sense.
What a load of crap. Should I worry about the police arresting me in my hotel room after a works party? I might get up in the morning and drive home. It's not Minority Report
I assume that arresting a bloke hiding a knife underneath his hoodie is "minority report" by your standards too? After all, he hasn't stabbed anyone yet and might just be a chef trying to keep warm on the way to work...
jith said:
I get really tired of the BiB constantly defending their status quo by telling others they're talking crap, cobblers, nonsense whatever. Whether or not you would do it as a police officer is wholly immaterial: others do.
Read the link I posted earlier; READ IT!!!
This happens constantly in campsites in the north of Scotland, I can't speak for England. As guindilias said, it's an easy target, mainly because it's an appalling piece of legislation that requires the accused to prove that he was not going to do something. Utterly ludicrous.
J
Yes, the courts are full of holiday makers and festival goers being done for drunk in charge. Read the link I posted earlier; READ IT!!!
This happens constantly in campsites in the north of Scotland, I can't speak for England. As guindilias said, it's an easy target, mainly because it's an appalling piece of legislation that requires the accused to prove that he was not going to do something. Utterly ludicrous.
J
Or maybe they're not.
Elroy Blue said:
Yes, the courts are full of holiday makers and festival goers being done for drunk in charge.
Or maybe they're not.
I've owned campervans for nearly 20 years and in all that time, whether it be campsites, car parks, motorway service stations or festivals, not only have I not been even questioned by the BiB, but I've never witnessed or even heard of (personally or on the many camper forums I'm on) anyone else being either.Or maybe they're not.
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