Alcohol and drugs

By the end of this topic you can

• You can state the alcohol limits for learner, novice and other drivers.
• You can explain why the only safe amount before driving is none.
• You can describe what happens at a Garda checkpoint.
• You can check whether a medicine is safe to take before driving.

What you need to know and understand

• Learner, novice and professional drivers have a limit of 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood.
• Other drivers have a limit of 50 mg per 100 ml of blood.
• A learner or novice between 20 mg and 80 mg can get a 200 euro fixed penalty and a 3 month disqualification.
• Higher readings, or repeat offences, go to court with longer bans.
• Gardaí can breath test any driver at a checkpoint, and can test for drugs with a roadside mouth swab.
• It is an offence to drive impaired by any drug, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
• Driving while impaired by drugs carries a ban of at least 4 years for a first offence. Refusing to give a roadside sample is also an offence.

Why 20 mg means none

There is no reliable way to work out how many drinks keep you under the limit. It depends on your body, what you ate and how strong the drink was. With a 20 mg limit, a single drink can be enough. Only time removes alcohol from your body: coffee, food or a cold shower do not speed it up, so you can still be over the limit the morning after a night out.

A ban means you cannot drive at all, not even with an accompanying driver, and driving while disqualified is a separate offence.

Drugs and medicines

There are two offences. One is driving while impaired by any drug so that you cannot control the car properly. The other is driving with certain drugs, such as cannabis, cocaine or heroin, in your blood above set levels, even if you feel fine. Gardaí can carry out a mouth swab test at the roadside and ask you to do simple impairment tests.

Many cold, flu and hay fever remedies cause drowsiness. Read the label and ask a pharmacist before driving.

At a Garda checkpoint

1. Pull in safely when signalled and switch off the engine if asked.
2. Have your learner permit ready.
3. Give a breath sample when asked. Gardaí do not need a reason at a checkpoint.
4. If you fail, you will be arrested and asked for a further breath, blood or urine sample at a Garda station.

Common mistakes

• Thinking one small drink is fine as a learner. At 20 mg it may not be.
• Driving the morning after heavy drinking. Allow plenty of time or do not drive.
• Taking a new medicine and driving without reading the label.
• Accepting a lift from a driver who has been drinking. Plan another way home.

Test yourself: Alcohol and drugs

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Drink Driving Limits in Ireland
• After You Pass in Ireland