Driving after you've been drinking alcohol is a bad idea, as you may be over the legal drinking limit.
The last thing you want is to fail your breathalyser test, pay a fine or get arrested and risk losing your driver’s licence.
It is illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol or narcotic drugs. The maximum blood alcohol limit for drivers is 0.05g per 100ml of blood.
As a rough guide, this means you are able to drink a maximum of one unit of alcohol per hour, which is of 10ml of pure alcohol, as your body can only process one unit of alcohol per hour. If you weigh less that 68kg our body may need more time to process the same amount of alcohol.
Remember: any amount of alcohol impairs your ability to drive safely, and different people react differently to alcohol. The best advice is to avoid alcohol completely if you are going to be driving.
What does one unit of alcohol really mean?
According to the Automobile Association (AA) “quick fixes” like drinking coffee or taking a cold shower are myths and should you be pulled over at a roadblock your breathalyser test may come back saying that you are over the legal drinking limit.
What the law says
Any person driving on our roads needs to be familiar with the laws regarding drunk driving, as stated in the National Traffic Act 1996. But the main points you need to remember are that:
What are the consequences?
In South Africa if you are caught under the influence of alcohol or drugs while driving, you could go to prison and have a criminal record for the rest of your life. The worst case scenario is that you could be involved in a car crash and should someone die, you could be charged with culpable homicide.
You could also be liable to pay a fine. Fines can go up to R120 000 and you also stand the risk of having your driver’s licence suspended.
Remember that if you are pulled over at a roadblock and are suspected of being over the legal drinking limit, you may not refuse to have any blood taken or a breathalyser test.
Tips from the AA
Report all drunk driving and traffic incidents to your nearest police station immediately.