One in ten drivers has taken a drink before driving in the past year, but how dangerous is it to be under the influence behind the wheel?

Ahead of one of the busiest times for drink driving detections, we'll test the risk drink drivers take.

Chris Donoghue went to Mondello Park and in a controlled environment undertook a series of tests to examine his cornering, braking and reaction after consuming alcohol. See how he got on here:

The first test was the brake reaction test, here Chris had to watch for a red light similar to those of a rear bumper of a 'car' ahead.

When randomly triggered, the machine judges how quickly Chris got his foot from resting over the accelerator to applying the brake. 

There were four attempts on each round. Figures are fractions of a second. Here's the results of that test:

Next up was the ball on the saucer test where Chris drove around a course of  cones and had to keep the ball on a saucer that was fixed to the bonnet of the car.

If it fell off, he would have to get out and replace it with a new ball from the car. Only three balls were in the car. If he had to replace it a third time and it fell off.

It was a fail:

Chris found that any amount of alcohol impairs driving and increases risk of collision.

He stated: “The thing that surprised me the most was that with the one pint, actually my timings, my judgment, was much worse.”

The only safe advice is to never, ever drink and drive. 

Visit the RSA website for more facts on driving under the influence and road safety advice.