If it’s not okay here, it’s not okay before we drive.
Drinking. Driving. They’re better apart.
Drink driving is one of the biggest killers on Victoria's roads, with around 1 in 5 drivers and riders killed having a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) over the legal limit of 0.05 (5 year average).
Alcohol can affect us in different ways from one day to the next – this means there's never a 'safe' amount to drink when you’re planning to drive.
The way to avoid drink driving is simple. If you're going to drink, plan not to drive. If people avoid driving after drinking, the number of road fatalities could be reduced by up to 20%.
The separation of drinking and driving is yet another demonstration of the “proof” as to how we are going to achieve a vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
Driving impairment occurs even at low BAC levels:
- At .02 to .05 BAC – the ability to judge distances and to see or locate moving lights correctly is reduced. The tendency to take risks is increased, and the ability to respond to several stimuli is decreased
- .05 to .08 BAC – the ability to judge distances is further reduced, reactions are slower, and concentration span is shorter
- At 0.08 Drivers are five times more likely to have a crash than before they started drinking
- .08 to .12 BAC – over confidence sets in, over estimation of one’s abilities leads to reckless driving, and peripheral vision and perception of obstacles are impaired
- At 0.12 Drivers are ten times more likely to have a crash
- With a BAC of 0.15, the risk of being involved in a crash is more than 20 times greater than with a BAC of zero
Plan ahead. There are other options to getting home:
- Organise a designated driver
- Book a taxi
- Check out public transport options