Drink driving Victoria can look ugly in just a split second. How many drinks does it take to shatter a life? To turn a family celebration into a funeral? To transform a responsible citizen into a criminal? In Victoria, the answer is often far too few.
Victoria takes pride in its scenic routes and dynamic nightlife. Yet, this pride can swiftly turn into a grave concern when alcohol clouds a driver’s judgment. Thus, we shall delve into the dangers of drink driving in Victoria, Australia, and detail the instances when penalties for such offences come into play.
Drink Driving Victoria: Impaired Abilities, Increased Risks
Alcohol is a depressant, meaning it slows down your central nervous system. This translates to impairments in critical areas of your brain that you need for safe driving.
Your brain takes longer to process information coming through your eyes and ears, and your muscles are slower to respond to what your brain tells them. This makes it hard to react quickly to sudden dangers like cars swerving or pedestrians crossing.
Moreover, alcohol clouds your judgment. This makes you more likely to take risks you wouldn’t normally take. This could mean speeding, running a red light, or underestimating how close you are to another car.
Reduced concentration and focus, poor coordination, and distorted vision are the other effects of drink driving Victoria. These temporary impairments that alcohol causes can lead to accidents, even death. Police initially use alcohol detection breath test (breathalyser test, alcohol interlocks, or alcohol interlock device) to check how much alcohol the alleged drink driver had.
Drink Driving Victoria: The Price You Pay
If you’re caught drink driving Victoria, you will:
- face heavy fines.
- lose your licence
- completion of a compulsory Behaviour Change Program
- installment of an alcohol interlock
- drive with a zero-blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit requirement for at least 3 years, and
- for the most serious offences, risk going to jail.
The penalties for drink-driving differ depending on:
- the type of drink driving offence you committed.
- when you committed the offence
- your age at the time of the offence
- the licence or permit you held.
- if you had second or subsequent offences committed
Summary of Drink Driving Victoria Penalties
Other Serious Drink Driving Offences in Victoria
Motor vehicle offences involving alcohol pose a multitude of dangers, threatening lives and causing widespread disruption. These offences are:
- manslaughter arising from the driving of a motor vehicle.
- negligently causing serious injury arising from the driving of a motor vehicle
- exposing emergency or custodial workers to risk, arising out of driving a motor vehicle
- culpable driving causing death.
- dangerous driving causing death or serious injury.
- second or subsequent offence
There’s a price you have to pay for irresponsible drink driving in Victoria. However, there’s something you can’t put a price on and that’s the lives lost because of the choices you made. The most tragic consequence of drunk driving is the loss of innocent lives. Every year, countless families are devastated by the preventable deaths caused by alcohol-impaired drivers.
Drink Driving Victoria: Don’t Drink and Drive
One bad decision can have lifelong consequences. By actively working towards prevention at every level, we can make Victoria’s roads safer for everyone. Here’s what you can do:
- Plan ahead. Decide how you’re getting home safely after you’ve had some drinks. You can either designate a driver, ride a taxi, opt for public transport, or stay overnight.
- Keep track of your drinks and know your limits. The legal BAC limits may be higher than your personal safe driving limit. Your tolerance matters.
- Pace yourself by having water or non-alcoholic drinks between alcoholic beverages.
Contact a DUI Lawyer Today
Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol can negatively affect your life in the blink of an eye. Drink driving Victoria convictions come with a hefty price tag. Fines, licence suspension, and even jail time can be imposed on alleged drink drivers even it is their first offence or second offence, depending on the severity of the drink driving offence.
That is why facing a DUI charge is stressful. Let our lawyers at JB Solicitors handle the legal complexities so you can focus on moving forward. Contact us today and let’s discuss your case.
