Charged with drink driving in South Australia?

Being charged with drink driving in South Australia is not just about paying a fine, as you may be facing licence disqualification, mandatory interlock orders, a criminal record and consequences that affect your employment and travel.

An experienced drink driving lawyer in Adelaide will do more than explain the penalties, they will carefully examine the breath or blood testing procedures, assess whether police complied with the Road Traffic Act, identify any technical issues and prepare submissions aimed at protecting your licence and minimising the outcome.

Getting early legal advice from an Adelaide drink driving lawyer can help you avoid making a costly mistake and make a measurable difference to how your case is resolved.

If you do decide to plead guilty to drink driving, we can assist you to get the best possible result. Our team of specialist drink driving lawyers have extensive criminal law experience and know the best way to present your drink driving case before each of the Magistrates in the state.

Before proceeding to plead guilty, the first thing we at Caldicott + Isaacs do is make sure there is no possible defence to drink driving available to you before. We then proceed to make certain, as best we can, that you get the absolute minimum penalty.

We can offer you advice about the fines that may apply and how to pay them. We can also offer you advice about the alcohol interlock device that may need to be fitted to your car at the end of your licence disqualification period.

We are mindful that your car may be impounded or retained as a result of a prior drink driving offence. We will speak to the prosecutors before the event and ensure there are no hidden difficulties that you may not be aware of.

Deciding whether or not to plead guilty to drink driving has important implications and should be made after proper discussions with an expert criminal lawyer with experience in drink driving.

You weren’t driving

In some drink driving cases, the wrong person is charged with the offence. There are a variety of ways this can occur, such as an administrative error on the prosecution’s behalf or perhaps the offender was carrying your identification. Regardless, it is a complete defence to a drink driving charge if you can show that you were not driving the vehicle.

You weren’t driving on a road

If you were driving on private property when charged with drink driving or you were driving in an area that is enclosed and not accessible to the public, then you will have a defence to a drink driving charge. However, if the area is open and accessible to the public, then the area may be deemed a road and you will be deemed to be drink driving.

Breath analysis machine was defective

If there is evidence that the results returned by the breath analysis machine were inaccurate, this will be a defence to a drink driving charge. It is worth investigating to determine whether or not the breath analysis machine was defective.

If you obtain a blood test after you have been reported for the offence and it shows a significant discrepancy between the blood alcohol reading in the blood when compared to the breath analysis, this also may give rise to a defence. This is subject to obtaining a calculation as to the elimination rates of alcohol from your system. We know that the elimination rate varies as between individuals and different occasions for an individual.

Further, for a charge of drink driving, if the breath analysis reading is very close to the limits imposed by legislation (namely just over 0.05, just over 0.08 or just over 0.15), then it may be worthwhile speaking to the prosecution with a view to having the alcohol level lowered to a lesser category. This is possible because there is a plus or minus error in the analysis undertaken by the breath analysis unit.

In other words, we may be able to have the drink driving charge lowered by making representation to the prosecution that the charges should be less.

Honest and reasonable mistake of fact (Proudman v Dayman defence)

If you genuinely believed that you were not under the influence of alcohol, and it was reasonable for you to hold this belief (e.g. alcohol had been served to you without your knowledge), then you may have a defence to a drink driving charge.

You will need to have evidence to support a claim that you did not know you were given alcohol. This may involve a trial, however, if there is sufficient proof, you may be able to convince the prosecution to withdraw the drink driving charge altogether.

You consume alcohol between the time of driving and the test on the breath analyser

Drink driving legislation is designed to punish and prevent people driving while intoxicated. Therefore, if you consume alcohol immediately after a crash, but not at the scene and just prior to a breath analysis or blood test, you may have a defence to a drink driving charge.

Alcohol should not be consumed at the scene of the crash as sometimes people use this to mask the fact that they had been drinking alcohol prior to the crash.

You will need to be able to demonstrate to police that you had been drinking after the crash and the amount of alcohol you consumed.

Breath analysis conducted more than two hours after driving

There is a two hour period, commencing from when the alleged drink driving offence occurred, in which a breath analysis must be taken. In the event that you are tested more than two hours after driving your vehicle, the results of the breath analysis are unable to be used to for the purpose of proving a case against you.

Where there has been a crash, it may be important to ascertain the actual time of the crash. You could do this by obtaining copies of police communications transmissions or telephone records of eyewitnesses who made a call at the relevant time. These documents may become very important in proving that the period of time was more than two hours, giving rise to a defence.

Police did not comply with their legal obligations

The Road Traffic Act 1961 (SA) and the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous) Regulations 2014 outline a number of procedural conditions that the police must comply with in relation to breath and blood analysis. If the police fail to comply with any of these requirements you may have a defence to a drink driving charge.

Examples include:

• where the police have failed to alter the time on the breath analysis unit when daylight saving occurs, causing the printout to register that the breath analysis was conducted at a time prior to when it actually occurred; and
• if the police do not provide you with a written document advising you of your rights to a blood test or talk you out of having one.

Further, for a drink driving charge, police must conduct two breath analysis within a 10 minute period, no less than three minutes apart. If the police fail to do this, they have breached the regulations and you will not be guilty of a drink driving charge.

Police do not have the appropriate forms

For a charge of drink driving, the police must provide you with documentation to prove the following:

1. that the breath analysis machine was in good, working condition;
2. that they complied with the requirements to provide notices to the person charged; and
3. that they have completed and signed off on the documentation proving the offence.

Omission of any of these will be a defence to a drink driving charge.

The prosecution must prove:

1. That you were driving a motor vehicle or attempting to drive a motor vehicle on a road.
2. That you had a reading of more than 0.05 grams of alcohol in your blood at the time of driving the motor vehicle.
3. That the breath analysis machine was operating correctly.
4. That they have correctly applied the screening presumptive alco tester to yourself to prove that you were drink driving.
5. That blood test was not outside the two hour period from the time of the driving until the analysis.

In addition the police must have all of the necessary documentation available to prove:

1. The breath analysis.
2. That the person operating the breath analyser was authorised to do so.
3. That all the necessary paperwork was provided to the person who has been charged with drink driving.

In South Australia, if you commit a serious drink driving offence, you must have an ‘alcohol interlock device’ fitted to your vehicle at the end of your licence disqualification period. The scheme will likely apply for a time equal to your disqualification period.

Under the Road Traffic Act, the following are serious drink driving offences to which the scheme applies:

• second or subsequent drink driving offences above 0.08;
• driving with more than 0.15 blood alcohol level;
• refusing to provide a breath or blood sample for alcohol testing; or
• driving under the influence.

The cost of fitting the alcohol interlock device will be the responsibility of the driver, but a concession scheme is available to eligible card holders.

Some of the conditions of a mandatory interlock scheme include:

• that a driver must not drive any other vehicle other than that nominated to the registrar and has been fitted with an alcohol interlock device;
• that a driver must not interfere with the device or cause or permit the device to be interfered with; and
• that the driver must carry a certificate certifying that the alcohol interlock was property functioning when last examined.

It is paramount that the driver must not drive the nominated vehicle unless it has been fitted with a properly functioning alcohol interlock device, installed by an approved provider.

It is an offence to contravene a condition of a mandatory interlock scheme. Penalties range from $2,500 and upwards. It is even an offence to assist a person subject a scheme to contravene a condition.

It is important when dealing with drink driving matters that you obtain legal advice as to the possibility of being subject to a mandatory alcohol interlock scheme.

For full licence holders, the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.05. For learners, provisional or probationary drivers, zero alcohol is permitted. Exceeding these limits may result in exceed PCA charges, disqualification, fines, and demerit points.

• PCA (Prescribed Concentration of Alcohol): Offence of driving with a BAC over the legal limit.
• DUI (Driving Under the Influence): Applies when you are so impaired by alcohol or drugs that you cannot control the vehicle—even if your BAC is below 0.05.

While imprisonment is rare for first-time offenders, repeat or serious DUI offences (particularly above 0.15 BAC or involving crashes) may result in custodial sentences under the Road Traffic Act 1961 (SA).

Yes. Depending on your BAC, immediate licence disqualification can apply. For example, a BAC over 0.08 results in 6 to 12 months disqualification, and over 0.15 incurs 12 months or more.

Yes. Breath analysis results may be challenged if:

• The machine was faulty.
• The test was conducted outside the 2-hour legal window.
• There was a procedural error (e.g. failure to advise you of your rights).

A blood test showing a significantly lower reading may also assist in disputing the result.

Refusing to provide a breath, blood or oral fluid test is a criminal offence. Penalties are severe and often mirror or exceed those for high-range PCA or DUI, including automatic disqualification and hefty fines.

The Mandatory Alcohol Interlock Scheme requires serious or repeat drink driving offenders to install an interlock device in their vehicle at their own cost. It prevents the car from starting unless the driver provides an alcohol-free breath sample.

No. South Australian law does not permit restricted or work-only licences during a disqualification period for drink driving. The disqualification is total and unconditional.

Generally, drink driving laws apply only to public roads. However, if the private property is accessible to the public (like a shopping centre car park), it may still be considered a public place under SA road laws.

Police must conduct a breath analysis within 2 hours of the alleged driving. If the test is done outside this window, the results may not be admissible, forming a basis for defence.

If you can prove that alcohol was consumed after driving, and it caused your BAC to rise above the legal limit, you may have a valid defence. However, this requires strong evidence and possibly a forensic alcohol calculation.

Yes. Drink driving offences carry 4 to 6 demerit points depending on BAC level. These points are in addition to fines, licence disqualification, and other penalties.

Police must produce:

• Breath analysis results and certification
• Proof the operator was authorised
• Documentation advising of your right to a blood test
• All forms completed and signed correctly

Failure to provide or complete these documents correctly can form the basis of a legal defence.