John Miles was a Class 1 driver with the Metropolitan Police when he was appointed as an instructor at the famous Hendon Driving School, set up at the instigation of Lord Cottenham.
-- taken from the sleeve notes of Expert Driving The Police Way
In High Performance Driving for You by Tom Wisom he is quoted thus:
'I know the official advice is that you should not drink and drive,' said John, 'but the medical evidence is that a small amount does no harm at all to people who regularly take a drink. In fact, I am convinced that it sometimes does some good. Take the man who finishes work at half-past five and has to drive home.
'Some of them rush out and get into their cars. The work worries of the day are still on their minds and they are stuck in queues and get bad tempered and as soon as they are out of town they start belting along, sounding their horns and shouting at people. They are amongst the biggest dangers on the road, liable to do anything.
'Another man will finish work at the same time and buy his evening paper and drop in at the nearest pub and buy his half of bitter or a small Scotch and sit and read his paper. He may even have a couple, and I say it does no harm as long as he doesn't have more than that. Anyway, come 6.15 or 6.30 he leaves and get in his car with a nice relaxed mind and drives home without all the crush.
'You can't tell me that he isn't a far safer driver and a far better man than the one who rushes off and gets bad-tempered and if he lives to get home at all shouts at his wife and bawls out the kids. And by rushing straight out into the middle of all the traffic he probably only saved himself about ten minutes in the long run.'