New study finds Aussie drivers unclear on drink driving laws

Nearly half of Aussie drivers have confessed they don’t know how many drinks they could have and still be able to legally drive, a recent survey has discovered.

The Budget Direct Car Insurance Drink Driving Survey found 56.3 per cent of drivers aged 18 to 27 were most likely to not know how many drinks they could consume before being over the legal limit.

Despite having a few more years behind the wheel, half of those surveyed aged 38 to 47 were also unsure how many drinks would prevent them from driving.

It comes as 14 per cent surveyed said they had driven despite believing they might be over the legal BAC limit in the past six months, a result has doubled since 2021.

With more than one in five road deaths in Australia involve a driver having an illegal Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) level, almost a quarter of respondents said they didn’t know what the exact BAC limit was in their state.

Victorian respondents were most likely to know the BAC limit was 0.05, with 81.8 per cent of those who were surveyed said they knew the limit.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter of respondents from New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia said they didn’t know what the limit was in their respective states.

The study found nearly 50 per cent of respondents said they believed that drinking water would decrease their BAC.

The second most common response was sleeping, with 27.8 per cent per cent of those surveyed saying they believed this would work.

“Although these activities might reduce the symptoms and feelings associated with being over the legal limit, the only thing that can truly sober you up is time,” a Budget Direct spokesman said.