Drinking and Driving in NZ
11 November, 2021
Drinking and socializing account for some of New Zealand’s leisure activities. It is tempting to grab a bottle of beer after a hard day’s work. When happy hour is over, tipsiness slowly creeps in and takes control. The following scenario, however, is far from happy. Many people know that drinking and driving in NZ don’t mix, but alcohol-related road accidents are still prevalent.
According to the Ministry of Transport crash data, alcohol-related driving is the leading cause of car accidents and fatalities on the road every year. Impaired driving or drinking and driving in NZ is a criminal offence. People that drive intoxicated put themselves and others at risk. When a person becomes intoxicated with alcohol, it affects the brain to think critically. Alcohol reduces a person’s alertness level and slows down physical reflexes. Impaired senses and slow reaction time during driving poses dire risks on the road. BACtrack personal breathalyzers, which allows its users to test their breath alcohol level, can now effortlessly determine the state of one’s driving capabilities.
Drinking and Driving in NZ: Possible Consequences
Law enforcement takes drinking and driving in NZ seriously. You will face legal consequences if you are driving under the influence of alcohol. The legal alcohol limit in New Zealand is 0.05% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). BAC is the amount of alcohol in one’s blood and various sample testing such as breath tests, urine tests, and blood tests can identify it. Police officers typically use breath tests as a screening method to determine if the driver had taken any alcohol. Suspected intoxicated drivers are pulled over and asked to blow into a hand-held mouthpiece device called a breathalyzer. The number indicated in the breathalyzer reflects the BAC of a person.
If you have a BAC above the legal limit (0.05%), you will face penalties such as demerit points, driving disqualification, hefty fines and possible jail time. Fortunately, you can avoid drinking and driving in NZ if you know your alcohol content beforehand. You may now purchase BACtrack personal breathalyzers for self-tests to help determine whether you can legally drive or not.
Carrying a personal breathalyzer has helped prevent thousands of individuals from acquiring DUI (driving under the influence) charges. Leading brands like BACtrack breathalyzers have a wide range of personal and professional devices that give accurate police-grade results. Getting accurate BAC readings before driving could potentially save lives. It is better to safely take a taxi home for the night than to have charges of drinking and driving in NZ, considering the severe DUI consequences.
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