Wetherspoons, purveyors
of responsible drinking, has opened up a pub, the Hope and Champion, at
junction 2 of the M40 in Buckinghamshire. It’s an interesting name choice, as
you’ll be hoping you don’t get into an accident as you drive away, a couple of
pints down.
You can already buy alcohol at many petrol stations, garages
and motorway services. But there is a difference between buying alcohol in
sealed bottles that can be transported, and buying drinks to consume during
short driving breaks.
As it’s possibly to have a pint or two and still be under
the legal limit for driving, this is likely to see people stopping for a quick
one, but still driving “responsibly”. But as alcohol affects people
differently, this is a pretty poor plan, as what’ll be fine for most will be
much more for others. And each pint is going to reduce your driving ability
slightly, regardless of which side of the legal limit you’re riding at.
What do you think, should we have pubs in our service stations?
Ari Carrington
@ari_carri