In 2008, alcohol or drugs were contributing factors in:
- 33 percent of all road deaths
- 23 percent of all reported serious injuries from road crashes
- 14 percent of all reported minor injuries from road crashes.
The impact of alcohol and drugs
You risk causing death and serious injury to yourself and other people if you drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, both legal and illegal.
Once absorbed into your bloodstream, alcohol enters your vital organs, including your brain. The result is slowed reactions, dulled judgement and vision, all of which impair your ability to drive. Drugs have a similar effect. Both alcohol and drugs can also increase the risks of fatigue.
At 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood (the current legal limit for drivers 20 years or older) you're still twice as likely to have a crash as a driver with a 50mg level, and four times as likely as a driver with a zero blood alcohol level.
The costs of drink-driving related crashes are extensive:
- death and injury
- emotional
- ostracism (for the drink-driver)
- long-term financial costs
- legal charges - ranging from manslaughter to excess blood or breath alcohol
- penalties - including imprisonment, loss of licence and/or disqualification and fines
- loss of insurance cover.
Drive sober
- Everyone's perception of how much they can drink is different but the law is precise: if you're over 20 years of age the legal blood alcohol limit for driving is no more than 80 milligrams of alcohol for every 100mls of blood.
- There is a zero alcohol limit if you are under 20. That means if you drive after consuming even one drink you can be charged with drink driving..
- Be prepared: if you're planning on drinking, plan not to drive.
- Use your influence - don't go along with other people's bad decisions to drive while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
See more guidelines from the Alcohol Advisory Council (external link).
Keep off the drugs
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if the drugs you are taking could affect your driving ability.
It is illegal (since 1 November 2009) to drive while impaired by drugs - even legally prescribed drugs such as Benzodiazepines. Find out more (external link) about this law change.
Want to know more?
Read about legal alcohol limits and penalties for drink driving in The official New Zealand road code.
Also check out our current advertising campaign on drink-driving.
