Drink driving in Australia

In Australia, drink driving is the main behavioural factor in 30% of total road deaths (Australian Transport Council 2011, p25).

Drink driving is a contributing factor to a similar proportion of Queensland’s road crash fatalities*

Random breath testing (RBT) was introduced into Queensland in 1988 and since then considerable progress has been made in reducing the number of drink-driving related crashes through the use of RBT and publicity campaigns.

While the community now generally acknowledges that drink driving is socially unacceptable behaviour, the fact that alcohol still contributes to such a large percentage of road crash fatalities is a concern. More work still needs to be done through initiatives targeted at those most likely to offend – particularly on a repeated basis.

Research shows that a high proportion of recidivist drink drivers have clinical alcohol dependence problems (Australian Transport Council 2008, p41). RACQ members agree that a focus on rehabilitating offenders is needed to help reduce re-offending.

Advice to motorists:

As a general guide, to stay below the open licence limit of 0.05% BAC:
  • Males can have a maximum of two standard drinks in the first hour, and one standard drink each hour after that;
  • Females can have a maximum of one standard drink in the first hour, and one standard drink each hour after that.
This is a guide only because everyone is different.  The best approach is to avoid alcohol if you will be driving.

Standard Alcoholic Drink Chart

Standard drink chart

Drink driving

Enjoying an alcoholic beverage has long been a Queensland past time, particularly in the warmer months. Whether it's at a BBQ or just a few casual drinks over lunch, a majority of Queenslanders love a social drink. But do you know how much is too much before you get behind the wheel? In this video we take a closer look at low range drink driving and how that one extra drink could leave you with a suspended licence and a new-found appreciation for the bus timetable.

    1. Implement a level of enforcement and education such that drivers perceive a real risk of detection should they exceed the legal maximum blood alcohol content (BAC), e.g., increasing the allocation of police resources during times and at locations associated with high alcohol consumption.
    2. Further enhance community education about alcohol intake and BAC and promote alternatives to drinking and driving, e.g., understanding what a standard drink is and planning to drink at venues serviced by other transport options and/or designated driver programs.
    3. Improve alternative transport options in rural and remote communities, e.g., courtesy buses and promote designated driver programs.
    4. Implement anti-drink driving initiatives directed towards repeat offenders, e.g., best practice rehabilitation programs with assessment prior to re-licensing.
    5. Encourage the hospitality industry to become more responsible for their patrons, e.g., publicans serving alcohol responsibly and not breaking liquor licensing laws by serving patrons alcohol to the point of intoxication, and providing and promoting designated driver schemes and complimentary/alternative transport services to help reduce the incidence of drink driving and drink walking in conjunction with transport providers, local governments, health and community agencies.
    6. Use road-based measures in the vicinity of licensed premises to reduce the incidence of crashes involving intoxicated pedestrians, e.g., roadside barriers and improved lighting.
    7. Encourage vehicle manufacturers to develop interlock/alcolock technologies further.

  • Australian Transport Council 2011, National Road Safety Strategy2011-2020, Australian Transport Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

    Australian Transport Council 2008, National Road Safety Action Plan 2009 and 2010, Australian Transport Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

    Data Analysis Unit 2009, Personal Correspondence to RACQ, 03/06/09, Queensland Transport, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Drug driving

Research suggests that those who use drugs and drive have a similar crash risk to drivers with a blood alcohol concentration of between 0.1 and 0.15 (CARRS-Q 2008, p1).

Since December 2007 Queensland Police have been able to undertake random roadside saliva testing for illegal drugs (Queensland Transport 2009, p1).  

The saliva samples are tested for the presence of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis), Methylamphetamine (‘speed’ or ‘ice’) and MDMA (the active ingredient in ‘ecstasy’) (Queensland Transport 2009, p1).  These are believed to be the drugs most commonly identified in the bodies of drivers and riders involved in fatal crashes (Queensland Transport 2008, p14).

The introduction of roadside drug testing in Queensland and other jurisdictions has been an important development in road safety, especially considering drug driving is believed to be an increasing problem and with one 10-year evaluation of Australian road crashes estimating that one quarter of the drivers killed in road crashes tested positive to drugs other than alcohol (CARRS-Q 2008, p1).

While there has been progress made with regard to enforcement against drug driving with the 2007 introduction of random roadside drug testing for some illicit drugs, the RACQ believes that the testing program needs to be expanded so that drivers can be tested more frequently.

RACQ also believes that more work still needs to be done to educate drivers about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs – especially legal over-the-counter/prescription medication – and that a means for testing for the presence of these types of drugs (that can affect driving ability) needs to be investigated, because both legal and illegal drugs have the potential to increase the risk of a crash or alter a driver’s behaviour (Queensland Transport 2006, p9).

Collection and recording of offence and crash data in relation to drug use also needs to be of a high standard, to help paint a clearer picture as to the prevalence of drug driving in Queensland.

Advice for motorists:

  • Prescription and non-prescription drugs can affect your vision, mood, decision-making skills, muscles and coordination.
  • When starting a new course of medication, ask your doctor or pharmacist about the effects it may have on your driving.
  • Driving while adversely affected by medication is not an excuse for careless driving, and can result in penalties.
  • Mixing drugs or combining drugs with alcohol can seriously affect your ability to drive safely.
  • You should never drive if you have consumed illicit/recreational drugs.

The dangers of drug driving

This video explores the dangers of 'drug driving'. And it isn't just illicit drugs we need to be concerned about, taking prescription medication and getting behind the wheel is also of huge concern.

    1. Monitor and report on drug use by all drivers and riders killed or seriously injured in crashes and infringement rates vs. tests for drug drivers. Ensure that crashes where drugs were a contributing factor are recorded separately to alcohol. Continue research into understanding the effects that drugs have on driving and how they contribute to road crashes – especially prescription/over-the-counter medication.
    2. Educate the community about available research on the effects of certain drugs on driving performance – including prescription medications (and their misuse) as well as illicit ‘recreational’ substances.
    3. Encourage drivers and health professionals to be more informed about the effects of medication on driving performance and take appropriate action, e.g., use of alternative prescriptions or forms of transport.
    4. Continue to develop methods, legislation, procedures and accurate equipment that allow more widespread drug testing, applied either randomly or in a targeted manner, e.g., more roadside screening devices and impairment detection techniques.
    5. Expand the number and coverage of targeted and random drug tests to ensure that more Queensland drivers are tested for drug use each year.
    6. Develop alternative penalties for drivers caught drug driving, e.g., early intervention programs for first time offenders to reduce their chances of re-offending and rehabilitation programs addressing health/dependency problems for repeat offenders.

  • CARRS-Q 2008, State of the Road: Drug Driving Fact Sheet, CARRS-Q, Queensland University of Technology, Carseldine, Queensland, Australia.

    Queensland Transport 2009, Drug Driving Fact Sheet, Queensland Government, Web Document, Accessed 30/01/09: Drug Driving Fact Sheet 2009

    Queensland Transport 2006, Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2006-2007: safe4life, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    Queensland Transport 2008, Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2008-2009: safe4life, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Things to note

The information in this article has been prepared for general information purposes only and is not intended as legal advice or specific advice to any particular person. Any advice contained in the document is general advice, not intended as legal advice or professional advice and does not take into account any person’s particular circumstances. Before acting on anything based on this advice you should consider its appropriateness to you, having regard to your objectives and needs.