The mum, who put her seven-year-old son in danger when getting behind the wheel drunk, appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday, October 7 where she admitted drink driving and was disqualified for 20 months
A mother has been disqualified from driving after crashing her car while three-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit with her seven-year-old son in the car.
On Friday, September 20, 44-year-old Inesa Memlika was driving along Atherston Avenue, Netherton in Peterborough with her young son in the car when her black Mercedes A Class collided head-on with a silver Vauxhall Corsa. The impact caused severe damage to both cars but luckily nobody was seriously hurt.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and arrested Memlika after she was initially found to be over the drink drive limit. The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, or 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. There is also a limit of 107 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of urine.
Shockingly, Memlika remained more than twice over the drink-drive limit after arriving in custody via a hospital check-up some time later. She appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday, October 7 where she admitted drink driving and was disqualified for 20 months.
PC Ben Chance, from the Road Policing Unit (RPU), said: “Luckily no one was seriously injured as a result of the collision. Memlika’s actions were incredibly selfish, not only putting herself and other road users at risk, but also her own child. There is absolutely no excuse for drink driving.”
The force operates a dedicated, confidential hotline – 0800 032 0845 – which is available 24/7 and gives the public the chance to provide information about anyone they think may be driving under the influence.
Drink Driving
There is no way to know how much you can drink and stay under the limit, since it can depend on your weight, age, metabolism, the amount of food you’ve eaten and other factors.
It’s impossible to get alcohol out of your system quickly, it always takes time. A shower, a cup of coffee or other ways of ‘sobering up’ may make you feel better but won’t remove the alcohol from your system. If you’ve been out drinking, you may still be affected by alcohol the next day and could lose your licence if you drive and are still over the legal limit.
Alcohol affects everyone differently and any amount can impair your ability to drive. The only safe option is to avoid alcohol completely if you’re driving as even ‘just one drink’ could put you over the limit.
If you’re found to be over the drink-drive limit, and/or driving while impaired by drugs, you can receive:
- a criminal record
- a maximum penalty of six months in prison
- an unlimited fine
- an automatic driving ban of at least one year (three years if you have been convicted twice in 10 years)
Information about drink driving, the law and the penalties, can be found on these dedicated road safety information webpages.