Want to drink and drive? There’s a pill for that

They say the secret to a good invention is finding the solution to an everyday problem. So it’s strange that Arthur Kibble thinks he’s on to something by selling pills that could help drink-drivers pass breathalyser tests when they’re over the limit.

Already banned in America, the pills, which are claimed to lower the absorption of alcohol into the blood, giving a reading up to nine times lower than it should be, are legally on sale in the UK.

Kibble, a businessman from Birmingham who is selling the Indian-made pills online, said: “I am not advocating that motorists get blind drunk and then try to drive, but it does help you mentally. They are useful for those people who have two pints and are then banned for 12 months.”

But if they do work, what would stop someone from having three or more pints, then getting behind the wheel?

“Everyone does it. There’s a car park in every pub you go to”, he asserts, adding: ”What about bus drivers and taxi drivers who want to have a pint before work?”

Good question! What about the poor old sods who want to drink and then drive to work, especially if their work involves the direct safety of scores of other people?

“I must stress”, he continues, “that these tablets do nothing to improve the performance of a driver who has been drinking.”

Ah, so the risk is still there, but you’re just less likely to get in trouble. Kerching! The Dragons would be climbing over each other to invest.

Nearly 300 people died from drink-driving last year in the UK. Road safety spokesman for The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, Kevin Clinton, said: ‘[These pills are] dangerous and stupid and may encourage people to drink and drive in the belief they can get away with it. We would urge people to ignore this product and those selling it to stop doing so immediately.”

Although breathalyser tests can vary depending on other determining factors such as weight, stress levels and what you’ve eaten recently, the guidelines are there for a reason and do stop reckless driving.

The level of irresponsibility advocated by selling these pills is almost laughable, if it weren’t for the fact that drink-driving affects lives – I’m sure if anyone involved in their sale had ever lost anyone to a drink-driving accident, they’d think rather differently.

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• ian

  alcohol is only dangerous when absorbed into blood. so if these pills lower the risk of alcohol in blood then that means you are less drunk. so bring them on – a waste of money on that beer but all good if driving