• Around 1 in 5 drivers killed on our roads have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 or higher.
• Driving while under the influence of alcohol affects perception, vision, concentration, reaction time and causes drowsiness – all of which increase the risk of a crash.
• Alcohol can affect us in different ways from one day to the next – that’s why there’s never a ‘safe’ amount to drink when you’re planning to drive.

How does alcohol affect driving performance?

Driving is a complex task requiring decision making and total concentration. Alcohol affects a driver's ability to be totally in control of their actions.

BAC levels and affects:

• 0.02 to 0.05 BAC - the ability to see or locate moving lights correctly is diminished, as is the ability to judge distances. The tendency to take risks is increased, and the ability to respond to several stimuli is decreased.
• 0.05 to 0.08 BAC - the ability to judge distances is reduced, sensitivity to red lights is impaired, reactions are slower and concentration span shorter. At 0.08 BAC drivers are five times more likely to be involved in a crash.
• 0.08 to 0.12 BAC - euphoria sets in, overestimation of one's abilities leads to reckless driving, peripheral vision and perception of obstacles is impaired. Drivers are up to 10 times more likely to have an accident.

What is BAC?

Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is a measurement of the amount of alcohol in the body. BAC is measured in grams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for a fully licenced driver is 0.05. This means that a driver's body must contain less than 50 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. A driver's BAC is measured by a simple breath test procedure.

What factors affect BAC?

Most people find it difficult to gauge their own blood alcohol level as there are so many factors that you need to consider.

These include:

• Time of day – just like how your body burns more energy at different times of the day, the time of day can also affect the rate at which your body processes alcohol.
• Sex – on average, males and females process alcohol at different rates.
• Age – being older or younger can affect how much alcohol your body can process.
• Weight – your size and body fat percentage can influence how quickly your body processes alcohol.
• Health – many medical conditions and medications can affect how your body processes alcohol.
• Whether or not you have eaten – eating may slow down the rate that your body absorbs alcohol, but it won’t guarantee that you’ll be under the limit.
• Tolerance to alcohol – everyone’s body processes alcohol differently, and you never really know how long it will take for your body to react.

There are many myths about staying under the limit such as – having two drinks in the first hour and one every hour after that, eating a big meal, pacing yourself, and drinking plenty of water. But the truth is that alcohol affects everyone differently, and none of these things can guarantee that you’ll remain or be under the limit.

If you are caught driving with a BAC of .05 or higher, you’ll:

• Lose your licence for a minimum of 3 months.
• Need to complete a compulsory Behaviour Change Program.
• Need to pay to have an alcohol interlock installed and maintained in every vehicle that you drive, for at least 6 months.
• Be required to drive with a BAC of zero for at least 3 years.
• Risk jailtime for the most serious offences .

In addition to these penalties:

• Victoria Police have the power to immediately suspend your licence, or learner permit, for certain drink-driving offences.
• The vehicle you were driving at the time of the offence could be impounded (regardless of whether you own it).

These penalties also apply to commercial drivers who commit their first drink driving offence with a BAC under .05.

If you are a Learner driver or P plater, you must have a BAC of 0.00 to drive.

More info on penalties can be found on the Transport Victoria website.

Combined drink and drug driving offences

• A combined drink and drug driving offence has higher penalties than an individual drink driving or drug driving offence.
• You can be charged with a combined drink and drug driving offence when the illegal substances are detected through a roadside saliva test, or through a blood or urine sample.

More information about combined drink and drug driving offenses can be found on the Transport Victoria website.

• Trialling new technologies that will prevent serious injuries and deaths on our roads.
• Fitting alcohol interlock devices (which stop a driver from starting the vehicle if they have been drinking) to all drink drivers' vehicles when they are relicensed. A Victorian study found a 79% reduction in drink-drive offending among repeat drink-drivers required to have an interlock fitted upon relicensing
• Tackling the wider issue of drink driving and addiction.
• Looking at requirements for repeat offenders to have a zero-blood alcohol limit for life.
• Promoting the benefits of separating drinking and driving to all drivers.
• Partnering with sporting clubs, festivals and corporations to promote safe driving messages

There’s only one way to reliably avoid drink driving – if you’re planning to drink, plan not to drive.

• If you’re somewhere that has limited public transport options, arrange a designated driver, or somewhere to stay the night.
• Make use of public transport, there are also late-night options such as the nightrider bus.
• Book a taxi, Uber, or other rideshare option.

Public transport journey planner

Planning to drink tonight? Plan a safe way home with this PTV journey planner.