DKT Alcohol, Drugs and Fatigue — Questions and Answers
Question 1: The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for a learner or P-plate driver in NSW is:
- Zero (0.00) (Correct answer)
- 0.05
- 0.02
- 0.08
Correct answer: Zero (0.00)
Learner and provisional (P1 and P2) drivers must have a zero blood alcohol concentration. Any alcohol in your system while driving on an L or P licence is an offence.
Question 2: The general BAC limit for a fully licensed (unrestricted) driver in NSW is below:
- 0.08
- 0.02
- 0.05 (Correct answer)
- 0.10
Correct answer: 0.05
Fully licensed drivers must keep their blood alcohol concentration below 0.05. Learner and provisional drivers must be at zero. Driving over the limit is a serious offence.
Question 3: Which of the following is the only reliable way to reduce your blood alcohol concentration?
- Drinking strong coffee
- Having a cold shower
- Eating a large meal
- Allowing enough time for your body to process the alcohol (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Allowing enough time for your body to process the alcohol
Only time lowers your BAC as the liver processes alcohol at a roughly fixed rate. Coffee, food, exercise or a shower may make you feel more alert but do not reduce your BAC.
Question 4: Driving while affected by illegal drugs, or some prescription medicines, is dangerous because they can:
- Impair your judgement, reaction time and coordination (Correct answer)
- Improve your concentration
- Have no effect on driving ability
- Only affect you the next day
Correct answer: Impair your judgement, reaction time and coordination
Illegal drugs and some medicines slow your reactions, impair judgement and coordination, and can cause drowsiness. Police conduct random drug testing and driving while drug-affected is an offence.
Question 5: If a medicine label or your pharmacist warns the medicine may cause drowsiness, you should:
- Take a double dose to feel normal
- Ignore the warning if you feel fine
- Not drive until you know how it affects you, and follow the advice (Correct answer)
- Only drive at night
Correct answer: Not drive until you know how it affects you, and follow the advice
Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines cause drowsiness or affect concentration. Check the label, ask your pharmacist or doctor, and do not drive if you may be impaired.
Question 6: Early warning signs that you are too tired to drive safely include:
- Feeling more alert than usual
- Driving faster without noticing
- Sharper vision and quicker reactions
- Yawning, sore eyes, drifting in the lane and difficulty concentrating (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Yawning, sore eyes, drifting in the lane and difficulty concentrating
Yawning, heavy or sore eyes, drifting across lanes, missing signs and trouble concentrating are signs of fatigue. Fatigue slows reactions much like alcohol and is a major cause of crashes.
Question 7: The safest action if you start to feel drowsy while driving is to:
- Pull over somewhere safe and rest, or change drivers (Correct answer)
- Wind the window down and keep going
- Turn the radio up loud
- Drive faster to reach your destination sooner
Correct answer: Pull over somewhere safe and rest, or change drivers
The only real cure for fatigue is sleep. Pull over at a safe place such as a rest area, take a short nap or swap drivers. Fresh air and loud music only mask tiredness briefly.
Question 8: On a long trip, a good way to help prevent driver fatigue is to:
- Drive through the night when roads are quiet
- Avoid all breaks to arrive sooner
- Take a regular break at least every two hours (Correct answer)
- Have a few drinks to relax before driving
Correct answer: Take a regular break at least every two hours
Taking a break of at least 15 minutes about every two hours, sharing the driving and getting a good sleep beforehand all help manage fatigue on long trips.
DKT Alcohol, Drugs and Fatigue
The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit for a learner or P-plate driver in NSW is: