Everyone knows if you get behind the wheel after having a few beers you’re at risk of getting pinged for drunk driving.
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But some people might not know that, in at least one instance, a passenger can be fined for drink driving – and maybe lose their licence.
The NSW road rules include a provision where someone sitting in the front passenger seat has to be under 0.05.
That provision is if the passenger is a licenced driver supervising a learner.
People might think the person in control of the car is the one who has to watch their drinks, but the road rules view the supervisor of a learner as having a controlling role in terms of driving the car.
”Supervising a learner driver is an important role which requires a good understanding of the road rules, the ability to drive competently, and the ability to teach vital driving skills to a novice driver,” said a spokeswoman for Roads and Maritime Services.
“Under the Road Transport Act 2013, the blood alcohol content (BAC) of an unrestricted licence holder supervising a learner driver is required to be below 0.05, while the learner must have a zero BAC.
“It is also illegal to supervise under the influence of drugs.”
The spokeswoman also said the legal blood alcohol limit for supervisors of special purpose vehicles such as trucks, buses, taxis or hire vehicles was even lower – just 0.02.
Depending on what the supervisor blows on the breath test, they could be fined as much as $3300 and lose their licence for at least a year.
The NSW road rules include a provision where someone sitting in the front passenger seat has to be under 0.05.
This rule means the option of using an L-plater as the designated driver on the way home from the pub is out of the question.
It was something you could get away with until recently in Western Australia.
Due to a loophole in that state’s road rules, there was no alcohol limit set for supervising drivers and police said there was nothing they could be charged with.
That has since changed, with the legislation introduced into parliament in late 2015 to set the alcohol limit for supervisors at 0.05.
This figure places the state in line with the rest of the country.