In a harrowing incident of drink-driving, a mother was banned from the roads after she crashed her car while being heavily intoxicated with alcohol, with her seven year old son tragically in tow.

The appalling event unfolded on Friday, September 20, as 44 year old Inesa Memlika found herself behind the wheel along Atherston Avenue, Netherton, Peterborough. Her black Mercedes A Class catastrophically smashed head-on into a silver Vauxhall Corsa.

Miraculously, despite the significant damage inflicted on both vehicles, no severe injuries were reported.

Responding with haste, emergency teams descended upon the accident site and took Memlika into custody after determining that she had been driving under a substantial influence of alcohol. Current UK laws stipulate that drivers must stay below 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, or 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, and not exceed 107 milligrams per 100 millilitres of urine.

In a shocking revelation, it turned out that even after being assessed in hospital, Memlika's alcohol levels remained staunchly above the legal drink-drive threshold. The subsequent court hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on Monday, October 7 saw her pleading guilty to the offence of drink-driving, resulting in a disqualification period of 20 months, reports the Mirror.

PC Ben Chance from the Road Policing Unit articulated the gravity of the situation: "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 runs a dedicated, confidential hotline 0800 032 0845 available 24/7, offering the public an opportunity to report anyone suspected of drink driving.

There's no definitive way to gauge how much alcohol you can consume and remain under the limit as it varies based on weight, age, metabolism, food intake, among other factors.

Alcohol cannot be rapidly eliminated from your system; it always takes time. Methods such as taking a shower or drinking coffee may alleviate the feeling of intoxication but won't expedite the removal of alcohol from your body.

If you've been out drinking, you could still be under the influence the following day and risk losing your licence if you drive while over the legal limit.

Alcohol impacts everyone differently and any quantity can hinder your driving ability. The safest approach is to abstain from alcohol entirely when driving as even 'just one drink' could push you over the limit.

If found exceeding the drink-drive limit, and/or driving under the influence of drugs, you can face:

• 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.