Eighty per cent of drivers think they might have been over the drink drive limit the morning after a night of drinking.

The advice is: if you have drunk alcohol the night before, then do not drive the following morning if you have any doubts about their alcohol levels.

According to guidelines it takes at least one hour for every half pint of beer, glass of wine or measure of spirits to get out your system.

The AA poll of 11,388 drivers found that it is the over 65s who were most likely not to have considered that they might be over the limit the morning after.

Drivers aged 25-34 and those in Scotland were most likely to often consider that they might be over the limit the next day.

Drivers in East Midlands and Northeast were most likely not to consider the possibility that they might be over the drink drive limit.

The research also showed that almost half of all motorists (47%) know someone who drinks and drives, and two thirds of those surveyed (67%) said they would notify the police if someone they knew drove under the influence of a large amount of alcohol that would put them far in excess of the drink drive limit.

Department for Transport figures show the proportion of drink drive accidents in the evening in 2006 has reduced from the proportion in 1996, with particular decreases from 9pm to midnight.

However, the proportion of accidents between 5am and noon has increased over the last decade.

Edmund King, AA president said: “If someone has been to a party drinking into the early hours and gets little sleep they might be over the limit the next morning. Most would not be blatantly drink driving but the penalties of minimum one year’s ban are likely to be the same."