Drink Driving Penalties SA

The penalties for drink driving in South Australia include an immediate suspension or disqualification of the driver’s license. If the offense is a serious traffic offense, the penalty will include an immediate cancellation of the license. These penalties do not preclude the registration of demerit points against the license. If the demerit points reach 12 points in one year the period of disqualification will be extended.

The immediate disqualification imposed by the police upon apprehension is different from the court-imposed disqualification which may be longer depending upon the circumstances of the drink driving offense. A fine will also be imposed upon the drink driver. The amount of the penalty will depend upon the type of license the drink driver possesses, the blood alcohol concentration levels he had at the time of apprehension and whether this is his second or third offense.

Penalties for excessive drink driving

Immediate loss of licence for six months if you are detected driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) between 0.08 and 0.149
Immediate loss of licence for 12 months if you are detected driving with a BAC of 0.15 or more
Demerit points and fines also apply to drink driving offences and the Court may also impose greater periods of disqualification.

Loss of licence for second and subsequent offences of between 0.05 and 0.079 also applies.