PDHPE
Home > PDHPE > Core 1 - Health Priorities in Australia > What are the priority areas for improving Australia's health? > What are the priority areas for improving Australia's health?
Drink driving
Alcohol is a drug which slows down the functioning of the brain. It may cause loss of balance, reduces the ability to judge speed and distance, impair reaction and the ability to make decisions. The introduction of Random Breath Testing (RBT) has had a significant impact on driver behaviour. It is now generally considered to be socially unacceptable to drink and drive. However, as alcohol is still a factor in approximately one in six fatal crashes, the Government will continue to implement RBT programs which target areas of NSW. These RBT programs are supported by high profile public education programs.
Assessing the level of risk
There are limitations in using “standard drinks” as a strategy to measure the level of alcohol in your body. This is because alcohol affects people in different ways depending on their sex, weight and the body’s ability to process the alcohol.
It is for this reason that it is strongly recommended that rather than count the amount of alcohol a driver has consumed, drivers should plan before they go out and therefore avoid drinking and driving.
A Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.0 means no alcohol at all.
Source: Motor Accidents Authority
Student activity |
|---|
| Debate the following issue.
The blood alcohol limit should be zero for all drivers across Australia. |
