Preventive Measures for Drink Driving Penalties
03 November, 2021
Going on a night out should be fun and stress-free. You want to relax and not worry too much. The booze is present and plenty, but then you remember that you have to drive home. While it may seem that limited alcohol drinking takes out all the fun, the safety of the passengers, your fellow commuters, and everyone on the road comes first. In New Zealand, strict laws are implemented to minimize road casualties and avoid drink driving penalties.
It is against the law to drive under the influence of alcohol. Driving with an excessive amount of alcohol in your blood can lead you to court prosecution and costly drink driving penalties. If you are caught committing this offense, the least you can get is fifty demerit points. If you accumulate 100 demerit points in two years, your driving license will be temporarily suspended. You can also face up to three months in jail and fines of up to $6,000. Heavier casualties also lead to more severe penalties.
How to prevent drink driving penalties
How do you prevent from incurring drink driving penalties in the first place? Knowing your legal limit for alcohol is a good benchmark in determining how much drinking you can take for the night. For adults, the breath alcohol concentration should not be over 250 mg of alcohol per litre or more than 80 mg blood alcohol level per 100 ml of blood. If you really can’t avoid drinking alcohol, at least drink minimally and consume plenty of food and water.
A good, reliable, and fast measure to know if you are within or beyond the threshold is to take a breathalyser test. Always have one ready in your pocket. If your BAC levels exceeded the allowable limit, ask someone else to drive for you or take a taxi instead. Never attempt to drive if you already feel light-headed. If you are going out alone, don’t drink and drive. Opt for a non-alcoholic drink instead in order to avoid drink driving penalties.
Repercussions
Drink driving penalties are not only limited to demerit points or paying fines alone. Depending on the severity and frequency of your offense, you can also face criminal prosecution, imprisonment, having your driving license revoked, and having your car impounded. It will take time and a lot of legal fees before you can get back your vehicle, license, or your ban lifted. The best way to avoid drink driving penalties is to either not drink at all or consider getting a breathalyser.
Breathalysers New Zealand offers high-quality BACtrack breathalysers with police-grade accuracy available at our products page here.
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