Same day local dispatch

New Zealand owned

1-3 year warranty

NZ's breathalyser specialist

What is the Alcohol Limit in NZ?

24 June, 2022

Road to Zero program is New Zealand’s strategy to achieve zero fatalities and casualties in ten years (2030). It aims to have zero road trauma brought by reckless or impaired driving. Alcohol is one of the top factors of road crashes in New Zealand every year. Many people consume alcohol and drive without knowing their intoxication level. Therefore, strengthening road safety against drink-driving is a top priority. So, if you are planning on consuming alcohol, it is best to know your alcohol limit. You can monitor your alcohol consumption and level through BACtrack personal breathalysers. Your alcohol capacity determines how much alcohol you can take and whether driving within the allowed limits is safe. Generally, the alcohol limit in NZ is 0.05% Blood Alcohol Content (BAC).

The BAC is the amount of alcohol in your bloodstream. The degree of alcohol impairments directly correlates with your BAC level. The more you consume alcohol, the higher your BAC goes. The alcohol limit in NZ has two categories: Under 20 and 20 and above. Adults (20 years old and older) have an alcohol limit of 0.05% BAC or 0.05g for every 100ml of blood. For Under-20s (19 years old and younger), the alcohol limit is zero. It means you must not have alcohol in your body when driving. To stay clear from accidents or trouble with the law, you must know your alcohol level before driving. Fortunately, you can check your BAC through devices from Breathalysers New Zealand.

Alcohol limit in NZ: What can affect BAC levels

Alcohol is the primary cause of accidents on the road because of drink-driving. Thus, the alcohol limit in NZ strictly is implemented everywhere. As a result, 0.00% BAC levels are for drivers under the age of 20, meaning alcohol must not be present in the body. Meanwhile, drivers above the age of 20 can drive with a BAC below 0.05%. Therefore, police officers conduct random roadside breath tests. They use breathalysers or blood alcohol tests to determine the driver’s intoxication level. Hence, it is crucial to use a personal breathalyser after drinking in New Zealand, no matter your age. Personal breathalysers can help monitor the BAC levels in your body so you can see if you are over the limit. Also, watching out for these factors can help you get an accurate BAC level:

  • Drinking on an empty stomach
  • How the body process alcohol
  • Body fat
  • Gender
  • How often do you drink

Alcohol Limit in NZ: Using BACtrack Devices

Many factors can affect your BAC level, resulting in impaired vision, reaction time, concentration, and vigilance. Thus, alcohol intoxication leads to difficulty in operating a vehicle and assessing road dangers. Knowing how alcohol affects your body can help determine how fast your BAC can increase. Hence, the alcohol limit in NZ draws the line between what is considered a safe level and what is not. In addition, having a BACtrack personal breathalyser can be handy in these situations. Additionally, the BACtrack breathalysers are accurate and can deliver fast results, making the breathalyser a reliable option for alcohol breath tests to prevent drink-driving.

Drink-driving is a criminal offence, and exceeding the alcohol limit in NZ can subject you to criminal charges and penalties. Therefore, a personal breathalyser is ideal for helping individuals follow the allowed alcohol limit. Checking your BAC levels to monitor your alcohol intake from time to time is essential. The BACtrack personal breathalysers use fuel cell sensors to monitor BAC. These are the same sensors you can find in a police officer’s breathalyser. Fuel cell sensors are highly accurate and less likely to provide false-positive results. BACtrack devices can accurately determine if it is safe for you to drive. In addition, users of a smartphone breathalyser can use the BACtrack breathalyser app to monitor the alcohol test results of a family member. Investing in a personal breathalyser such as the S80 Pro can help because it has an audible warning set to NZ driving limit for your safety.

Penalties for Going over the Alcohol Limit in NZ

When consuming alcohol, you need to watch out if you are exceeding the alcohol limit in NZ. Without monitoring, you might incur drink-driving offences. As a result, you can be charged with drink-driving penalties such as fines and prosecution. Thus, if the driver is over 20 or older, a 0.05% BAC level limit is strictly followed in New Zealand. Hence, two punishment levels are available if a driver is caught drink-driving. These are the infringement notice if your breath results are under 250 mcg(micrograms), and the criminal charges if it reaches above 400 mcg. The fine 0f $200 is payable for infringement notice and $4500 for criminal charges.

The alcohol limit in NZ implements a 0.00% BAC level for drivers under 20 years of age. This means drivers under 20 cannot have any alcohol traces in their blood or breath. Therefore, three levels of penalties resulting from drink-driving under 20. These are the infringement notice if your breath results are under 150 mcg, the criminal charges above 150 mcg, and heavier criminal penalties if it reaches above 400 mcg. The fine for an infringement notice is $200, for a criminal charge is $2,250, and for heavier criminal penalties the bail is $4,500. However, the BACtrack personal breathalyser from Breathalysers New Zealand can prevent you from exceeding the alcohol limit since you can conduct alcohol breath tests before driving that can avert penalties and a police record.

 

The Use of Personal Breathalysers

Personal breathalysers are for individuals that want to monitor their alcohol level. Therefore, using personal breathalysers to prevent going over the alcohol limit in NZ is a wise option. Furthermore, monitoring your alcohol consumption is important before driving to ensure you are safe driving. Drink-driving is the cause of many accidents in New Zealand, which is why law enforcement is implementing strict alcohol limits. Thus, conducting an alcohol breath test using personal breathalysers can prevent drink-driving penalties. Here are the reasons why a personal breathalyser benefits you as a driver.

  • Accuracy
  • Convenience
  • Easy to use
  • Safety
  • Quick Results

Personal Breathalysers at Breathalysers New Zealand

Personal breathalysers from Breathalysers New Zealand ensures that you will not go over the alcohol limit in NZ. BACtrack breathalysers are FDA-approved and DOT certified, meeting the requirements of a personal breath screening device. Additionally, BACtrack personal breathalysers are portable and compact without sacrificing their reliability. Likewise, the smartphone breathalysers can also connect to smartphones via Bluetooth technology. BACtrack companion app enables you to view your BAC results directly on your smartphone and share the results through messages. The ZeroLine® technology of BACtrack quickly estimates how long until the BAC levels return to 0.00%. Furthermore, investing in a BACtrack personal breathalyser is a wise choice for preventing drink-driving penalties. In conclusion, the user does not need to worry about going over the alcohol limit because the personal breathalyser can monitor BAC levels preventing harm and penalty fines.

 

0
    Shopping Cart
    Your cart is emptyReturn to Shop
      Calculate Shipping
      Shipping options will be updated during checkout.
      alcohol-limit-nz

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Driving Restrictions? (P Platers, Zero Tolerance etc)

      Is Device Size Important?

      Is Device Size Important?

      Is Device Size Important?

      Your Perfect Match

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Why upgrade?

      Would you like extra mouthpieces?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Thank you for registering your breathalyser.

      Our system will now automatically send you a notification when your calibration is due.

      You may be interested in…

      Your Perfect Match

      Also Recommended

      Why upgrade?

      Your Perfect Match

      Why upgrade?

      Are you Testing Employees?