Alcohol and Driving Drugs and Driving
Alcohol and driving
Alcohol is a contributing factor in about 20 per cent of fatal crashes and five
per cent of those causing injury.
More than half the drivers killed have a BAC of 0.15 or more – three times the
legal limit of 0.05 for full licence holders.
Staying below 0.05 is hard as not everyone takes the same number of alcoholic
drinks to reach this limit.
Women and people of both sexes who don’t weigh a lot get to higher BACs
faster.
Men are more likely to drink and drive and more likely to be involved in
alcohol-related crashes.
Alcohol reduces your ability to concentrate and to look for and respond to
hazards when driving.
Alcohol slows your reflexes when you need to take action such as braking.
Alcohol increases the risk of a crash. Even at a 0.05, crash risk is about twice
what it is at zero.
The safest BAC for driving is zero.
About 57 per cent of fatal crashes in ‘high alcohol hours’ are alcohol-related.
High intake of alcohol occurs mostly weeknights (particularly Thursday
and Friday nights) and weekends.
Drivers with alcohol in their blood are not only more likely to crash, but more
likely to die if severely injured in a crash.
Staying with a zero BAC when driving gives you an edge. It is the safest BAC
for driving regardless of your licence type.
Drugs and Driving
Drugs other than alcohol, including legal medicines and illegal drugs, can affect
your ability to drive safely.
All medicines or legal drugs that may affect your driving are clearly labelled
with warning labels.
Many drugs and medicines interact with each other (and alcohol) in a way that
might affect your ability to drive safely.
Your doctor or pharmacist (chemist) can advise on which medicines affect your
ability to drive.
Illegal drugs carry no warnings and may affect your driving.
Penalties for driving under the influence of drugs include heavy fines, loss of
licence and even prison.
