If it is the first time police catch you drink driving you might get a fine.
If it is not your first time drink driving, or if police think that what you did is serious, you will go to court and the judge will decide what will happen to you.
The judge decides the punishment for people who go to court for drink driving. The judge will think about:
- How much alcohol was in in your body (for example 0.08% blood alcohol)
- How many times you were in trouble already for drink driving
Most people who go to court for drink driving lose their drivers licence for 6 months to 2 years. sometimes even longer. The judge can send a person to jail for serious (bad) drink driving crimes.
 Listen |
 Look |
 Read |
 Watch |
Who Can Help? (Service Providers)
 |
NAAJA (North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency) – Alice Springs |
 |
NT Legal Aid Commission – Alice Springs |
 |
NT Legal Aid Commission – Darwin |
|
NAAJA (North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency) – Darwin |
 | Read |
| Drink driving: Pleading guilty?
This is a guide to representing yourself when you are pleading guilty at the local court for drink driving. |
| Law Handbook – Drink and Drug Driving Standards
Handbook explaining the laws of drink and drug driving. |
| Alcohol, Drugs and Driving
Motor Vehicle Registry factsheet. |
| Drink Driving Penalties
Motor Vehicle Registry factsheet. |
Glossary: What these words mean
| blood alcohol | This is a number that measures how much alcohol is in your blood. Police use this number to decide if someone is drink driving. The law allows you to drive when this number is less than 0.05%. |
| drink driving | Driving a car after drinking too much alcohol. The law says if you have more than a certain amount of alcohol in your blood (more than 0.05%), you are not allowed to drive. Drink driving is also called DUI (driving under the influence).
|
| licence | A licence lets you do something that other people without a licence can’t do. For example, a driver licence is a card or paper from the government that says you can drive. It says the kind of car, motorbike or truck that you can drive. You can use the licence until the expiry date. After the expiry date you need to renew it. A gun licence (also called a firearm licence) is a card or paper from the Government that says you can use a gun. It says the kind of gun you can use and where you can use it.
|