Driving / Blood Alcohol Content / Legal

Driving whilst under the influence of alcohol is illegal in all Australian Sates when the amount detected exceeds .05% Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). Learners and Provisional licence holders require a 0% reading. Heavy Transport operators and aircraft pilots are also required to have a 0% BAC.

In 1994 28% of people who died in Motor Vehicle Accidents in Queensland had a BAC reading in excess of .05%. Of those 28%, most had a BAC reading of between .16% and .24%.

When alcohol is ingested, some will be absorbed into the blood through the walls of the mouth and the stomach. The rest is absorbed through the walls of the small intestine. Nearly two thirds of the human body weight is water.

Absorbed alcohol is distributed by the blood and mixes evenly through this water. The larger the persons body the more water it contains and so the lower the final alcohol concentration in the blood.

When a person exhales they exhale an amount of water vapour which contains elements of any alcohol that may have been consumed. In order to ascertain whether a motorist is over the legal BAC limit, police conduct a road side Breath Alcohol Level Test (BrAL), using a portable breathalyser.

If a reading of .05% or above is recorded the motorist is suspended from driving pending a court hearing. The loss of ones licence can have a profound effect ranging from social isolation, loss of wages, insurance penalty to personal despair. Significant fines and even imprisonment can arise over drink driving charges.

Apart from being a ‘bloody idiot’ - Drink Drivers place the lives of themselves and others in the community at an unacceptable and considerable risk. If alcohol is a problem for you – seek help!