How much can you legally drink before driving this festive?
The festive season is here and many car accidents have already claimed lives because of drunk driving. How drunk is too drunk, and what's the legal limit?
DISCLAIMER:
THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT CONDONE DRUNK DRIVING. DRUNK DRIVING IS A CRIMINAL OFFENSE PUNISHABLE BY IMPRISONMENT. DON'T DO IT.
Recently, social media saw many fatal car accidents that occurred in the early hours of the morning; like the accident in Mbombela involving a truck and a Mercedes C63 or more recently in Pretoria, involving a bus and a VW Polo.
None of these accidents have been officially attributed to alcohol, but how do you not see the bright yellow bus you’re about to drive under? I rate alcohol.
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TOP TIP: The best way to avoid drunk driving is to not drink and drive. Period.
However, Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1998 determines that the legal alcohol limit in South Africa for driving must be less than 0.05 g of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
According to Genesis Medical, factors such as your gender, metabolism, weight, age, the type of alcohol you are drinking, or whether you were drinking on an empty stomach; contribute to how quickly you get drunk.
Men metabolise alcohol slightly faster than women do. A man weighing 81kg can have two drinks in an hour before reaching the legal limit of 0.05g/100ml. A woman weighing 63kg will be just over the legal limit, with the same amount of alcohol.
So; it’s best to know how much alcohol is in your drink and how much is too much.
- Spirit Cooler (300ml): 1.2 to 1.9 units = 0.02g to 0.035g
- Cocktail: ±2 to 2.5 units = 0.04g to 0.05g
- Quart of Beer (750ml): 3.3 to 4 units = 0.08g (maybe just stick to 1)
- Double Spirit (50ml): 2 units = 0.04g
- Shooters: a half unit = 0.01g
- 90 mls of 12% white wine: 1 Unit = 0.02g
- 75 mls of 14% red wine: 1 Unit = 0.02g
For better understanding, if you drink two 330ml cans of beer in an hour, both men and women will be over the legal limit.
If you have ten single Brandy’s, you’re gonna need about 10 hours before you can safely drive again.
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The festive season is just that, a season. December will end and life will continue. Don’t let the fun blind you from the reality of your existence.
Rather drink at home or have a designated driver who can chauffeur you around like royalty.
Can you really afford to have a permanent criminal record for drunk driving? Worse yet, could you live with yourself if you caused an accident that took someone else’s life?
Don't do it.
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