Legal drinking and driving limit explained

The ‘silly season’ is officially here, and the name itself gives away the state of mind of the average South African at this time of the year – silly, especially on the road.

It’s been a long year, and just as you would unwind with a drink at the end of a long week, the country is doing the same at the end of a long year. But overindulging and driving has caused and can cause death on our roads.

But what is overindulging? How much can you actually drink, and still get behind the wheel and not be arrested?

The legal drinking limit for driving in South Africa is a breath alcohol level of 0,24 milligrams of alcohol per 1 000 millilitres, which translates to a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of no more than 0,05 grams per 100 millilitres, for ordinary drivers. Professional drivers are allowed a breath alcohol level of no more than 0,10 milligrams per 1000 millilitres, or a blood alcohol level of 0,02 milligrams per 100 millilitres.

Most South Africans know this, but what does it actually mean?

Not being over the limit means more than just limiting yourself to one drink every few hours – your weight and what you drink have a major effect on how intoxicated you get.

According to Arrive Alive (AA), the rule of thumb is to have one unit of alcohol per hour. But how much is a unit of alcohol? According to AA, 1 unit of alcohol is the equivalent of 0,02 grams of blood alcohol.

What does this mean in layman’s terms?

1 unit of alcohol is equal to two-thirds of a beer or spirit cooler with an alcohol content of 5 per cent.

For wine drinkers, it is 75 millilitres of red or white wine with an alcohol content of 12 to 14 per cent.

For those who like spirits such as brandy and whisky, a tot of 25 millilitres per hour is acceptable.

Units and weight:

The crunch comes when you have to take your weight into consideration. For an adult with an average weight of 68kg or more, 1 unit of alcohol is processed by the body in approximately an hour but those who weigh less will need more time to process the same unit.

Because drinking and driving is a science far more advanced than just chugging back drinks, AA said the solution is simple – just don’t drink and drive – period.

If you want to check your level of intoxication visit awareawakealive.org and have a go at their BAC calculator. It might not be 100 per cent accurate but it gives you an idea of what your limits are.

Source: https://www.aa.co.za/about/press-room/press-releases/drinking-and-driving-what-is-over-the-limit.html

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