Drink Driving

Fact Sheet

10/11/2014

If you drive after drinking alcohol or taking other drugs you

are more likely to be involved in a crash. Alcohol is
absorbed quickly into the blood and travels rapidly to all
parts of the body. It affects your brains ability to make
judgments and process information. It also impairs your
consciousness and vision1.
Consuming alcohol prior to driving increases your crash
risk. Studies have shown that compared to drivers with a
blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of zero, drivers are two
times more likely to crash with a BAC of 0.05 g/100ml,
seven times more likely to crash with a BAC of 0.08 g/100
ml and 25 times more likely to crash with a BAC of 0.15
g/100 ml2. Young, less experienced drivers who consume
alcohol before driving are at an even higher risk of crashing3.
Intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes are three times
more likely to have been speeding than sober drivers4. The
initial introduction of random breath testing in Western
Australia in 1988 is reported to have had an immediate
impact on road crashes, decreasing the number of fatal
crashes by approximately 25%5.

In WA in 2013/2014, 11,679 drivers were tested by

police and found to exceed the lawful alcohol limit6.
Previous research has shown of these, approximately
60% were under 30 years of age7.

2013 Facts
Alcohol is a major contributor to road crashes in WA. In 2013, 22% of fatal crashes attended by WA Police involved
a driver or rider with a BAC equal to or greater than 0.05 g/100 ml.
Key facts include:
Of the 2,500 people killed or hospitalised as a result of road crashes in 2013, 184 were in WA police attended
alcohol-related crashes (i.e. crashes where at least one driver/rider had a BAC of 0.05 g/100 ml or higher).
Although 59% of fatalities and hospitalised casualties were male, 75% of all road users killed or hospitalised in
alcohol-related crashes were males.
Of fatal crashes attended by WA Police in 2013, the largest group of drivers/riders with an illegal BAC were
males in the 25 to 29 age group, followed by males in the 17 to 24 year age group.
Most of the alcohol-related fatal and hospitalisation crashes attended by WA police occurred in the metropolitan
region (n=89, 60%). Outside of the metropolian region, the wheatbelt had the highest proportion of
alcohol-related fatal and hospitalisation crashes (11%).
Of the fatalities attended by WA Police in the metropolitan area, the largest group of road users killed in
alcohol-related crashes was motor vehicle drivers (44%), followed by motor vehicle passengers (28%). Of the
fatalities in the non-metropolitan area, the largest group of road users killed in alcohol-related crashes was motor
vehicle drivers (80%), followed by motor vehicle passengers (15%).

OFFICE OF ROAD SAFETY

ors.wa.gov.au

Drink Driving
Fact Sheet

10/11/2014

In WA each year, approximately 4,000 drink drivers are repeat drink drivers (representing around 40% of all drink
drivers in the State). The majority are male, under 25 years of age, unskilled or unemployed and have often been
arrested for other offences8.
The relative risk of crash involvement for repeat drink drivers is 2.3 times greater than for drivers without a
recorded drink driving offence. Overall, the profile of WA repeat drink drivers is similar to that in overseas
findings8.

Community Attitudes
Drink driving campaign evaluations11,12 and an ongoing survey of community road safety attitudes indicates that9,10:
Most people recognise that keeping having a BAC under 0.05 g/100 ml reduces the chance of having a crash. In
June 2012, 99% of a representative sample of the WA community said that keeping under 0.05 g/100 ml would
either somewhat or greatly reduce a drivers chance of having a crash.
Since 2008, the proportion of people who strongly disagree that you can still drive safely with a BAC just over
0.05 g/100 ml has been trending upwards (42% in Aug - Sep 2008 compared to 51% in Jul - Sept 2011).
In December 2010, four in five (81%) members of the community said that driving with a blood alcohol level over
0.05 g/100 ml is considered unacceptable at a community level. This is slightly higher than reports from previous
years.
In July 2012, 80% of the community considered it likely that a driver would be stopped by police for a random
breath test on an average weekend night. This is higher than the perceived likelihood of being stopped for a
random breath test on an average weekend day (66%), or weeknight (48%).
In the second quarter of 2012, the proportion of drivers who recalled being breath tested in the last three months
was lower than that reported in December 2010, at approximately one-in-four (23%), down from approximately
one-in-three (31%).
In an effort to reduce the incidence of drink driving in WA, with emphasis on repeat offenders, the Road Safety
Council recommended a comprehensive repeat drink driving strategy to Government, informed by
research evidence and international best practice. The central recommendation involved the establishment of a
mandatory, administrative performance based alcohol interlock scheme for WA supporter by alcohol assessment
and treatment.

Next Revision Date: November 2015

1Department for Planning and Infrastructure, Western Australia. (2005). Drive Safe Book, Part 1 Safe Driving. 2 Compton, R.P., Blomberg, R.D., Moskowitz, H., Burns, M., Peck
R.C., Fiorentino, D. (2002) Crash Risk of Alcohol Impaired Driving. Proceedings 16th International Conference on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety, August 4th to 9th, Montreal,
Canada. 3Keall, M.W., W. Frith and T Patterson (2004). The Influence of Alcohol, Age and Number of Passengers on the Night Time Risk of driver Fatal Injury in New Zealand,
in Accident Analysis and Prevention. Vol 36, Issue 1, pp. 49-61. 4Federal Office of Road Safety. 1997. Monograph 15: Risk taking by intoxicated drivers and riders. 5Henstridge
J, Homel R, Mackay P. (1997). The Long- Term Effects of Random Breath Testing in Four Australian States: A Time Series Analysis. Report CR162. Department of Transport and
Regional Development. 6Annual Report 2013. Western Australian Police Service (2013). 7 Ryan G, Ferrante A, Loh, N, Cercarelli R. (1996). Repeat Drink-Driving Offenders in
Western Australia, 1984 to 1994. Report CR 168. The Federal Office of Road Safety. 8Fetherston J, Lenton S, Cercarelli R. (2002). The Repeat Drink Drivers Study; Road Safety
Council of Western Australia. 9Synovate (2009/10) Tackling Drink Driving in WA Campaign Evaluation , Road Safety Council of Western Australia. 10Synovate (2011) Community
Tracker Quarter Three 2011, Road Safety Council of Western Australia. 11Metrix Consulting (2012)Drink Driving Behaviour Mid Campaign Evaluation OK is Not OK, Road
Safety Council of Western Australia. 12Metrix Consulting (2012) Drink Driving Behaviour Mid Campaign Evaluation You Deserve It, Road Safety Council of Western Australia.

OFFICE OF ROAD SAFETY

ors.wa.gov.au
ors.wa.gov.au