Road SafetyAlcohol and Drugs

Drink Driving• There’s a belief -

particularly among young men – that driving drunk is unacceptable, but having a few drinks and driving is OK.

Alcohol• Alcohol is a drug which affects your skills,

mood and behaviour. Just a few drinks increases your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) and as your BAC increases, so does your risk of being involved in a crash: 0.05 – Double the risk 0.08 – 7 Times the risk 0.15 – 25 Times the risk

Other Drugs• Other drugs also impair your driving and

mixing one drug with another, or mixing alcohol with other drugs, dramatically increases your risk of crashing if you’re stupid enough to try driving.

Paranoia Campaign• The RTA's latest drink driving campaign breaks

from traditional road safety advertising to focus on psychological feelings.

• The ‘Paranoia’ commercial taps into the fear and guilt that drink drivers experience and explores their anxiety, restlessness and fear of getting caught

The Campaign• The campaign focuses on the unpredictability of

mobile RBT.• Post-production and special effects create the

lead character’s feelings of paranoia. After he leaves the pub he thinks he sees police wherever he goes.

• The Cruel Sea’s hit song ‘Better Get a Lawyer Son’, is used to help deliver a powerful and lasting message.

The Truths • Drink driving is a factor in about 18 per cent of all fatal crashes in

NSW.• The figure is even higher (27 per cent) in country areas. In fact, 70

per cent of all fatal drink drive crashes happen in the country.• The majority (90 per cent) of drink drivers in fatal crashes are

men.• One third of all drink drivers in fatal crashes are aged 17-24 years

(despite making up only about one-seventh of all licensed drivers).

• One quarter of all drink drivers in fatal crashes are aged 30-39 years.

• 30 per cent of all fatal drink drive crashes occur between 9 pm and 3 am on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Drink Driving – The Facts

• Drink driving is a factor in about one in every five crashes in NSW where someone loses their life. Of the people who are killed, 88 per cent are men and 75 per cent are under the age of 40.

• You don’t have to be drunk to be affected by alcohol. You might feel normal but no one drives as well after drinking alcohol.

The Facts cont......• Novice drivers with any level of alcohol in their blood are at a much

higher risk of crashing. This is why learner and provisional licence holders are restricted to a zero alcohol limit.

• Getting back to zero (sobering up), takes a long time. No amount of coffee, food, physical activity or sleep will speed up the process.

• In NSW, police have the power to: Stop drivers at random to test for alcohol.Arrest drivers who test over the legal limit.Arrest drivers they believe are impaired by drugs, and conduct a

blood and urine testRequire a driver to undergo a sobriety test in certain

circumstances.

The Facts cont......• Since the introduction of RBT

in 1982, fatal crashes involving alcohol have dropped from 40 per cent of all fatalities to the current level of 19 per cent.

• Last year police conducted 3.4 million breath tests in NSW.

• Drink driving is stupid.

Blood Alcohol Limits

• NSW has three blood alcohol limits: zero, 0.02 and 0.05.

• Your BAC is a measure of the amount of alcohol you have in your blood.

• The limit which applies to you is dependent on the category of your licence and the type of vehicle you are driving.

Zero BAC Applies To:

• ALL learner drivers. • ALL Provisional 1 drivers. • ALL Provisional 2 drivers. • ALL visiting drivers holding

an overseas or interstate learner, provisional or equivalent licence.

Drugs and Driving don't mix

• Drugs affect all driving skills, and not just illegal drugs.

• Prescription drugs and even over the counter medicines can affect your driving skills if you don’t follow instructions or your Doctor’s advice.

• Taking more than one drug or mixing alcohol and drugs and then driving is even more dangerous.

• But taking drugs of any kind and then driving puts you at greater risk of injuring or killing yourself, your friends or other innocent people.

Roadside Drug Testing

• Police have powers to carry out roadside drug testing on any driver, rider or supervising licence holder in NSW.

• There are harsh penalties for driving while impaired by drugs, including a $2,200 fine, up to 9 months in jail and licence disqualification. Heavier penalties apply for a second offence.

Don’t take the risk, have a plan B.

• If you are affected by drugs or alcohol:– Use public transport or a taxi.– Get a lift with someone who has not been drinking

or using drugs.– Let people know where you are by taking your

mobile.– Stay at a friend’s house.– Tell a friend or let someone know if you’ve taken

drugs and don’t feel right to drive.– Sleep it off before you even think about driving, but

remember, don’t drive when you’re coming down

Plan B Campaign

• http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/campaigns/planb.html