Driving

Driving depends on coordinated attention, judgement, spatial processing and movement, all of which alcohol can impair.

Driving needs more than keeping a vehicle moving. It requires noticing hazards, judging distances, dividing attention and responding in time. Alcohol, other drugs and some medicines can interfere with these abilities, sometimes before a person recognises how affected they are.

Do not drive when impaired, sleepy, dizzy, confused or unable to concentrate. If you plan to drink, plan not to drive. Feeling normal, being on a familiar road or passing an alcohol-only test does not establish that you are safe to drive. If a medicine might affect driving, follow its warnings and ask a doctor or pharmacist about your circumstances.

A practical plan protects passengers and other people as well as the driver. That may mean arranging a sober, unimpaired driver, postponing a journey or finding another way to travel. This applies to motorcycles, boats and machinery too.

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