It seems like almost every day someone somewhere in Oz is caught for drink driving despite efforts to educate the public about the dangers of getting behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.
The most recent incident reported by www.News.com.au was of a man who was detected driving with a blood alcohol level, 4 times over the legal limit.
Drink driving is dangerous for so many reasons, one of them being because it makes obeying the rules of the road and rational thinking difficult. The man involved was not only over the limit but was also speeding.
Before drink driving, drivers should consider the consequences and penalties that drink driving can cause. For example your licence can be suspended which in itself is more than just inconvenient, especially for those whose livelihood is somehow dependent upon being able to drive.
Drivers be aware of the consequences of drink driving which can be much greater than the consequences of abstaining from drinking if you have to drive or calling a taxi. In addition to having his vehicle impounded for 28 days the man also had his licence confiscated for 12 months. However this is still luckier than he could have been, he could have been killed or caused the death of other innocent road users had a crash occurred.
Below is the post from News.com.au detailing the incident:
A MAN’S car has been impounded after he was allegedly caught driving with a blood alcohol reading more than four times the legal limit yesterday on The Parade at Magill.
About 4.25pm, police conducting laser duties on The Parade allegedly detected a silver Nissan four-wheel-drive vehicle traveling at 62 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
After submitting to a breath test, the driver recorded a reading of 0.207.
He was issued a 12-month instant loss of licence notice and had his car impounded for 28 days.
The 67-year-old man from Magill was reported for exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol, and exceeding the speed limit.
He will appear in court at a later date.
Alcohol Servers: What you can Do to Reduce Drink Driving
Alcohol servers should learn what a standard drink constitutes and know more or less the alcoholic content of drinks you serve so that you are able to advise patrons accordingly and assist them in remaining sober. Learn what a standard drink is and stick to the government’s recommended daily standard drink. This will allow you to remain within the limits of the law when serving patrons or drinking yourself. Advise your customers not to drink and drive and encourage them to call a taxi or friend for a lift home. Have a phone that patrons can use if they need to call for transport home.