REGARDING your report on the call by a magistrate for all drink-drivers to be jailed (LET, December 20), the night before, my husband went to his Christmas "do".

As he left home - by taxi - he said that he would be taking it easy on the beer and would be home by about twelve, as he was working the following day.

He eventually walked into the house unsteadily at about half past two to the familiar "where have you been until this time?" and "I don't think you'll be going to work later."

Neither statement registered as he made towards the bedroom and crashed into bed. I was not particularly bothered by that - everyone's entitled to enjoy themselves as long as no one else suffers for it.

However, alarm bells started to ring in my head about five hours later when I woke up to hear him getting ready for work.

I jumped out of bed and confronted him. I knew he wasn't fit to drive to work or, even worse, drive a lorry later on in the day.

He argued that he felt fine and, to be fair, he did seem so, but I knew that he was still influenced by the amount of alcohol he had drunk on Friday night and would be for the rest of the day. He continued to get ready, saying he would be OK and could not let his firm down when he said that he'd work.

I couldn't believe my ears and protested vehemently to no avail.

I didn't care about letting the firm down or about the £50-plus overtime pay he would lose by not going to work.

I cared and he should have, too, about the possibility of him crashing into a bus shelter full of people waiting to go into town for their last minute Christmas presents or ploughing into a family car killing mum, dad and two kids on their way to visit Santa's grotto.

That was the final straw, I was so angry. I said - and I really meant it and he knew - "if you drive off in that car, I'm going to phone the police, give them your registration number, the route you take to work, where you work and the type of job that you do."

I can't describe the relief I felt when he rang his firm and went back to bed for the rest of the day. At least, he couldn't do anyone any harm there.

Footnote: We do not normally carry letters sent to us anonymously, but this one showed commendable public spirit. Other drivers - and their wives - would do well to pay heed - Editor.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.