Sir, - The article by Conor Faughnan (The Irish Times, September 2nd), about the bloodalcohol of Princess Diana's driver referrred to the legal limit in Ireland being "0.8 mg alcohol per 100 milliliters blood." This value is incorrect by a factor of 100. The correct value is in fact 80 mg alcohol per 100 millilitres blood.
Earlier in the article he stated that "a driver who was tested in this jurisdiction with a blood-alcohol level of 1.75 mg would face a mandatory driving ban." I would estimate that a single drop of wine would contain between 1 and 2 mg alcohol. Therefore, according to Mr Faughnan, a single drop of wine would intoxicate a driver to the extent that he or she would face a mandatory driving ban!
Mr Faughnan's article is absolute rubbish in terms of scientific accuracy and I would respectfully suggest that in future he should consult a more reliable reference source before putting pen to paper. - Yours, etc.,
Arran Quay, Dublin 7.