Driving Under Influence

Driving under influence is one of the leading factors of car accidents in Australia. According to Road Sense Australia, 30% of car accidents are caused by drunk driving. With teen drivers taking more risks compared to more experience’s ones, it is important to establish what driving under influence is, and why it is important to avoid.

Starter Activity - TAC 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0s033MjVR7o (Copy the link if video does not work on this site)

Discuss these questions after you watch the video:

1. How does this video show the affect of you drink driving on others?

 

2. What does the video imply about the dangerous amount of alcohol while driving?

What is Driving Under Influence?

Driving under influence (DUI) is the act of operating a motor vehicle such as cars under the illegal doses of alcohol and drugs. These impair the driver’s ability to drive by slowing down reaction time and judgement of the road.

Common drugs and alcohol taken by teens, and their effects.

In Australia, there are many drugs used especially by teenagers that affect driving. For this reason, it is important to know what they are, and how they affect the body so that they can be avoided by young drivers. A survey by the Australian Department of Health, Disability and ageing found that these are the most common drugs used teenagers between 12 – 17 years:  

ALCOHOL

Alcohol is the most available and commonly used drug in Australia, with 66% of this age group ever trying alcohol and 27% of them consuming it in the past month. Alcohol is especially harmful to teenagers as it harms brain development. This is because alcohol is a neurotoxin, which damages brain cells and therefore affects the structure and function of the brain. This primarily attacks the communication between the body and the frontal lobe/hippocampus, which are responsible for decision making and forming memories respectively. This can lead to alcohol related brain injury (ARBI), and challenges the brain by affecting learning, memory and balance.

 

Moreover, alcohol is a depressant drug, meaning that it suppresses the Central Nervous system and slows down signals between the body and the brain. This further impairs cognitive functions such as reaction time, coordination, vision, decision making and motor skills. Study shows that even one standard drink can impair your body, making it a very dangerous substance to drive under.

 

The risk of a driver crashing is substantially increased as the amount of alcohol in the blood increases. This is measured by BAC (blood alcohol concentration). 

A study by the Judicial Commission of NSW shows that:

- BAC of 0.05 doubles the risk of crashing compared to 0 BAC

- BAC of 0.08 increases crash chance by 7 times than 0 BAC

- BAC of 0.15 increases crash chance by 25 times than 0 BAC

As you can see, even a small amount of alcohol significantly increases the chance of crashing, making alcohol a very dangerous substance to be under influence of while driving.

 

 

The chart about shows the percentage of alcohol in common alcoholic beverages. This shows how certain drinks can heavily impair the driver if carelessly drank, increasing the risk of accident by increasing BAC.

 

 

CANNABIS

Cannabis is the 2nd most used drug by Australian teens, with 16% of the age group trying it and 8% using it in the past month. It is an organic drug that comes from the plant cannabis sativa. In Australia, it is illegal to grow or have cannabis, with an exception in the ACT that allows it for medicinal purposes. Cannabis contains an active substance called Δ-9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which affects the brain by impairing motor skills, memory, judgement, vision, attention and coordination (NSW government).

 

Why Drugs and Alcohol are Dangerous for Teenage Drivers, and its consequences

Because of the potency of drugs and alcohol upon the function of the brain, they pose as a dangerous risk for drivers, especially teens who are young and experienced. By impairing and depressing the communication between neurons in the Central Nervous system, critical functions for driving such as reaction time, judgement and vision are compromised. This leads to loss of control, poor perception of hazards and poor speed regulation. This can lead to accidents, which can be extremely fatal. In Australia, drink driving has led to 1286 deaths in 2024, marking a 9.9% increase from 2023.

Moreover, driving under influence can cause harm to other people, including passengers, family members and pedestrians. The consequences of this dangerous activity are but not limited to:

 

-Psychological trauma (PTSD) and Physiological trauma (Injuries)

-Injuries to the brain, spinal cord, tissues, organ damage and broken bones. This can be caused by whiplash, broken glass and compressive forces during the crash. In severe cases, accidents cause 3rd degree burns due to explosions.

-Loss of loved ones, causing mental suffering and grief.

-DEATH

 

REAL EVENT - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-01/children-killed-in-traffic-accident-north-west-sydney/11921348

In 2020, Daniel Abdallah lost 3 of his children and 1 niece. it was around 8 PM, when they were all killed in a collision with another car. The driver was under the influence of alcohol and had a high BAC reading. 

These were the 4 children,Angelina, 12, Sienna, 8, Antony, 13, and Veronique, 11 who were all killed in the incident. 

This black 4WD was the cause of the fatal crash

Attention teens: These consequences will affect you for the rest of your lives. If you want to live healthy and happy, AVOID drugs and alcohol especially when driving. These not only affect yourself, but the community around you. So please, keep everybody safe. 

DRIVING UNDER INFLUENCE AT NIGHT - This becomes even more dangerous as the driver's vision is deterred by the darkness, making the side effects of drugs and alcohol more prominent. This can lead to dangerous and fatal collisions.

 

ACTIVITY: DRUNK DRIVING SIMULATOR

AWARE.org has made it very clear on the affects on drunk driving. Experience the affects with this game.

Reflection:

1. Why did the driver's vision get blurrier the more drinks they had?

 

2. What road conditions made it difficult to drive drunk?

 

3. What does this game imply about drunk driving?

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO TO STAY SAFE?

Especially for inexperienced teenagers like you, it is important to know how to keep yourself and others safe from driving under influence. To achieve this, please follow our guide below:

 

1. FOLLOW THE RULES! - in the ACT, the blood alcohol limit (BAC), is 0.05 for FULL LICENSE drivers. For Provisional and Learners, the BAC limit is ZERO. For the sake of keeping yourself and your family free from suffering, maintain this rule!

 

2. Avoid drinking alcohol and using Drugs - In Australia, it is illegal to drink alcohol under the age of 18, and illegal to use recreational drugs. Not only you hinder your brain's development, but can also face legal penalities such as fines up to $1100, or up to 2 years of imprisonment.

 

3. Talk to a trusted adult - If you feel that your driving is being affected by drugs and alcohol, it is good to talk to a trusted adult, such as a parent or teacher on advice. 

 

If you want further support, please contact the  Alcohol and Drug Service Intake & Helpline on (02) 5124 9977.

 

Create Your Own Website With Webador