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Buying booze on the M1 - skidpan

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-68009...5

Seems that our "professional drivers" will now be able to buy booze whilst they are at the services resting up.

Lets hope the local Police check all the trucks as they leave.

Buying booze on the M1 - Mike H

Shock horror. All the service areas in Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria have been doing it for years. Probably the rest of Europe as well, I have no experience of those.

Edited by Mike H on 19/01/2024 at 09:07

Buying booze on the M1 - daveyjp

You either have a complete ban or a case by case policy. As others service areas sell alcohol it will be difficult to oppose.

Buying booze on the M1 - SLO76
When I go away on coach work I often stay in hotels which have bars. A quiet pint with other drivers at night does no harm, but I get the concerns over this if it is effectively a motorway service station.
Buying booze on the M1 - RT

I believe that Beaconsfield Services on the M40 has had a licenced Wetherspoons since it opened in 2009 - so the authorities should have evidence whether it's a problem with drink-driving or not.

Buying booze on the M1 - Gibbo_Wirral

"The truck stop's director Brett Parker, said professional drivers who used the facility would not drink-drive because they knew they would risk their livelihoods."

Yeah right:

Last week:

"A truck driver from West Bromwich, has been banned from driving for two years after being caught driving a Scania lorry on the M5 while more than double the legal drink-drive limit."

keepontrucking.uk/two-year-ban-for-drunk-trucker/

With loads more from the past year if you google "truck driver drunk"


Buying booze on the M1 - Bromptonaut

The place in that article is mile or more off the M1 and I doubt a determined alcoholic truck driver would have trouble stocking up before arriving.

Most services on UK Motorways have alcohol as beer, wine and a limited range of spirits in their Waitrose or M&S supermarkets for years now. Signage indicates that the stuff may not be consumed on premises but I doubt that applies if, say, you're in the Travelodge or whatever attached to the services.

We did find that neither Watford Gap or the mini Asda at The Oval filling station on M1/J16 had booze. Maybe the Northants council had a policy forbidding it.

Edited by Bromptonaut on 19/01/2024 at 12:56

Buying booze on the M1 - HGV ~ P Valentine

I remember seeing the first services open for alcohol and thought it sent the wrong message to drivers especially if road is the only way you can get there.

But having said that, if people want to drink and drive they can just get it from the supermarket and take it in the car with them, so where they get it from is academic.

Also, drink driving is less of an issue for professional drivers then it is for car drivers, as most professional drivers have to return their vehicle back to the depot and alcohol on their breath will be detected by the smell.

Passengers are allowed to drink when in the car, so why not have it for them ?

I have often wondered why Vosa do not station themselves at the services and be more proactive in checking drivers for drink, drugs, vehicle safety/maintenance and driving hours. Pretty much all truckers will stop in the services at some point and therefore Vosa do not have to go looking for them. I can only assume they have little interest in really stopping it ? I see no other reason for not doing it.

In 35 years or so I have never been stopped by Vosa.

Buying booze on the M1 - focussed

"In 35 years or so I have never been stopped by Vosa"

VOSA doesn't exist since 2014 when it merged with the DVSA.

Buying booze on the M1 - KJP 123

It's really overnight parking not just a stop.

But there is a pub right next door ,even sharing the same access, so makes no real difference.