Drink And Drug Driving Rules In Western Australia
January 3, 2022

Drink And Drug Driving Rules In Western Australia

Driving with drugs or alcohol in your system will harm your ability to control the vehicle properly. Experts say that the blood alcohol concentration of 0.05% increases the chances of getting involved in a traffic accident or crash. Let us check out the details about the drink and drug driving rules in WA.

The police, on the other hand, can stop all the drivers and conduct all the drug and alcohol-related tests on the drivers. Riding under the impact of drugs or alcohol can put an individual’s life at risk.

So, right before you think of hitting the road, you must learn and understand the rules and regulations about drug driving through the driving lessons Perth offered by the best driving school.

Drink & Drug Driving: Things You Should Know!

The experts from the Perth driving school say that it’s a grave offence to drive in Australia with the Blood Alcohol Concentration or BAC is over 0.05. 

Drink Driving

Individuals can easily keep their BAC beneath 0.05 when they:

  • Don’t consume more than that two standard drinks during the 1st hour and one each hour after that.
  • Don’t consume more than one standard drink each hour.

But this can vary greatly from one individual to another, and the legal limit of ZERO Blood Alcohol Concentration is applied to:

  • Individuals who are learner riders or drivers.
  • Individuals who are provisional 1 riders or drivers.
  • Individuals who are provisional 2 rider or drivers.
  • Individuals who are visiting drivers, interstate learners, holding an internal driver’s license or equivalent or provisional license holder.

People who have a BAC of zero but are caught driving with a BAC, above 0 but below 0.02, can prove to the court that they consumed alcohol because of a religious event. This will become a defence.

Along with that, the under the 0.02 is applied to:

  • Drivers of all the public transports, such as buses and taxis.
  • Drivers of vehicles that carry risky items.
  • Drivers of vehicles that carry a “GROSS VEHICLE MASS,” which is more than 13.9 tonnes.

Drug Driving

Under the Defensive Driving Course Perth, you will learn that drivers who carry arranged illegal drugs within their oral liquid will be charged heavily for driving with unlawful and prescribed drugs in the oral liquid.

Apart from that, drivers who are found to be impaired by illegal or arranged drugs will get impeached for a grave felony of driving under the effect of drugs or drug-reduced driving.

These types of offences will only apply when the police have enough evidence of erratic or suspicious driving behaviour and where that particular suspicion is confirmed along with a blood test or a driving assessment.

Factors That Can Affect The Blood Alcohol Concentration

The ability to drive safely on the roads will depend on how much alcohol the individual has consumed. And how quickly the alcohol gets absorbed into their blood and how long it remains in your system. You can learn in detail about the driving and drug driving rules in Western Australia from a driving school near me.

For instance, two individuals who consume the same amount of alcohol will have different blood alcohol concentrations or BAC levels. It’s mainly because the effects of alcohol will not just depend on its quantity, but various other psychological factors, which are:

  • The Body Mass: A person who weighs around 55kg will receive much higher BAC levels when devouring the same volume of alcohol, just like an individual who is 90kg.
  • The Gender: A woman with the same weight and height as a man will absorb alcohol quickly because of the high ratio of fatty membranes to lean muscles.
  • Function of The Liver: Unhealthy liver processes the alcohol pretty slowly compared with a healthy liver. It will keep the BAC higher for a long time.
  • The Food: When there is a lack of food products within your system, the alcohol will get absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and stomach.
  • Lifestyle Habits: If you are an individual who drinks regularly will have a high chance of developing an increased alcohol tolerance. But individuals who drink less or rarely drink will have lower alcohol tolerance. It will make their BAC levels increase instantly.
  • Wellbeing And Health: The BAC levels will increase when a person becomes unwell, tired, or stressed.

The Penalties of Drink And Drug Driving In Australia

The professional driving instructor Perth says that individuals who fail to comply with all the driving rules will face huge penalties. An infringement is issued with it is your first offence for drunk driving. Here are some of the penalties of drink or drug driving:

  • If you are on the 0 limits and the BAC levels were higher than 0 and less than 0.02, you get a breach of $100 and a loss of around 3 demerit points.
  • Individuals charged with drink driving and having BAC levels between 0.05 and 0.059 will get an infringement of $400 and lose 3 demerit points.
  • If the BAC levels are between 0.06 and 0.069, you will get an infringement of $400 and lose 4 demerit points.
  • People with BAC levels between 0.07 and 0.079 will get an infringement of $400 and lose 5 demerit points. If he/she takes the matter to court, the court penalty will be $500.
  • When it’s your first drink driving offence, you have to go to court when your BAC level was 0.08 or more than that.
  • If your alcohol limit is 0 and the BAC limit is 0.02, but under 0.05, you will be fined between $150 to $300 and face 3 months of disqualification.
  • Individuals with a BAC level of 0.08 and 0.089 will get 6 months of disqualification along with a fine of $500.
  • When the BAC is over 0.09 but less than 0.11, you will be fined $550 and face a 7-month disqualification.
  • BAC or blood alcohol concentration readers that are more than 0.11 but under 0.13, you will receive 8 months of disqualification along with a fee of $650.
  • Individuals with BAC levels over 0.13 but less than 0.15 will get 9 months of disqualification and be fined $750.
  • If you have BAC readings, which is 0.15 or more than that, you will receive 10 months of disqualification and be fined $900.

Summing Up

Drink or drug driving is a serious offence in Australia. Individuals who do so will be charged with hefty fines and will also lose their demerit points. So, to drive safely on the roads, you must opt for driving lessons from Aventus Driving School. Here you learn about drink and drug driving and how it can affect you.

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