the driver's handbook

16
R O A d S A f E t y
Alcohol, Drugs, Medicines
and Driving
Alcohol, drugs and certain medicines reduce your ability to drive
safely and increase your risk of being involved in a crash. Not
only do these substances impair driving ability, but the effects of
mixing them can be even more severe.
As a driver, you need to be alert and able to concentrate on what
you are doing so that you can react to whatever is happening
around you on the road.
It is illegal to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs,
including some over-the-counter and prescription medicines if
they impair your driving ability.
If you are a learner, provisional or probationary licence holder
you must stick to a zero Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) – this
means no alcohol at all. A zero BAC also applies to drivers
of buses, taxis, heavy vehicles and vehicles carrying
dangerous goods.
Unconditional (full) licence holders, including qualified
supervising drivers accompanying a learner driver, must not drive
with a BAC of 0.05 or more.
The presence of cannabis, speed or ecstasy detected in a driver
also constitutes an offence – these drugs may be detected
through random roadside saliva tests.
The Driver’s Handbook
LESS tHAN
0.05
Severe penalties apply to drivers who commit drink or drug driving
offences – regardless of whether you are a learner driver or an
unconditional licence holder. Penalties may include heavy fines
(up to $2,500), licence disqualification, demerit points, and even
imprisonment in some cases. Upon returning from a period of
disqualification, drivers may be subject to a conditional licence or
may even regress to a former licence stage. For serious drink driving
offences, drivers face immediate loss of licence at the roadside and
will be required to fit an alcohol interlock device for the same period as
their licence disqualification before they can regain their full licence.