Driving Information

New Drink Driving Laws in NSW, Australia 

Driving under the influence is a severe violation not only in Australia but in every other country as well. The new drink driving laws contains a slew of consequences, including fines, license suspensions and jail sentences, according to the Road Safety Plan 2021. 

New drink driving laws went into effect in New South Wales, Australia on May 20, 2019. If a person is caught drinking and driving while above the legal limit, their license will be suspended immediately, even if he or she is a first-time offender. The NSW Parliament has increased the penalty for combined drink and drug driving offenses under the new drink driving laws as follows; A first-time offender faces a $3,030 fine or 18 months in jail, and a second violation is punishable by a fine of $5050 or 2-years imprisonment. 

 New Drink Driving Laws – Violations

If a person is guilty of violating the new drink driving laws, the courts can impose an Interlock Order. If an Interlock Order is granted, the individual must see a doctor within a month of the restriction term to receive a ‘Drink-less’ medical certificate. They may apply for an interlock driver’s license once the penalty time has expired. To be eligible, they must have an interlock device professionally installed in their car. An interlock device is an electronic breath testing equipment connected to the ignition switch of an automobile.

To start the automobile, a person must breathe into the interlock device and should show a result of zero Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC). If a person does not comply with the interlock order, he or she will be barred from driving for five years. 

A driver who breaches the order by reverting from a low-range to a high-range alcohol level will be requested to submit to a drug test under Australia’s new drink driving laws.  

New Drink Driving Laws – Drink Responsively

Drinking under the influence is one of the leading causes of vehicle accidents. Alcohol still plays a role in one-quarter of all fatal collisions. Due to the new drink driving laws in Australia, alcohol interlock programs, which are already in effect in Australia and across the world, has been shown to prevent repeat drink driving cases by around 64%. 

Events and alcohol will always be part of our lives, and regardless of old or new drink driving laws, we have to always be responsible and drink within the legal limit if we choose to drive afterwards.. There is probably someone waiting for us to get home safely. 

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