What happens when you drink?
Alcohol seriously impairs a driver's judgement, coordination and reactions. The more drink he consumes, the slower his reflexes and ability to maintain proper control of the vehicle.

There's no fixed yardstick as to how much you can drink before you're over the limit. Different drinks contain different alcohol content by volume. Other factors depend on your body size, gender, metabolic rate and how well you tolerate alcohol.

When alcohol-enriched blood passes through the lungs, some of the alcohol diffuses into the air in the lungs. A breath sample taken from deep-lung air therefore has a certain alcohol content, which can be analysed by a breathalyser. A breathalyser's readings give microgrammes of alcohol (ug) per 100ml of air.

What's the law?
According to the Traffic Police, under the Road Traffic Act, a person can be convicted of drink driving in two instances.

If the driver is found with more than the legal limit of 35ug of alcohol per 100ml of breath, or more than 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, the driver is deemed to have broken the law, and it does not matter whether he has control of the vehicle or not, when caught.

Even when the alcohol level is under the legal limit, the driver can still be convicted if he gets into an accident because he doesn't have proper control of the vehicle.

What's the penalty?
First offence: Fine of between $1,000 and $5,000 or up to 6 months' imprisonment.

Second offence: Fine of between $3,000 and $10,000 and up to 12 months' imprisonment.

Third and subsequent offence: Fine of up to $30,000 and up to three years' imprisonment.

Anyone convicted of drink driving will also be disqualified from driving for at least one year, even if he or she has not caused any traffic accidents.

Extracted from: The Straits Times newspaper

Even if you have many years of experience behind the wheel, it always pays to be extra careful while driving.

Drive at a moderate, steady speed for optimal reaction time. Reaction time to changing road conditions decreases at higher speeds.

Observe the speed limit in school zones and be extra careful especially during peak hours when there is much more human and vehicle traffic.

Taligating is a dangerous habit as it reduces the reaction time a driver has if the car in front of you brakes suddenly.

Don't road hog - This refers to driving slowly on a lane meant for faster traffic and thus causing a slow-down in traffic movement.

Defensive driving will prepare you to react to other drivers' actions. It involves looking out for brake lights, sudden lane changes and merging traffic. It also allows you to pre-empt the unexpected.

If the steering wheel veers right or left when the car is travelling in a straight line, the wheels may be misaligned. Get them checked as soon as possible.

Avoid changing radio stations or CD tracks while driving. Have all these properly set up before you start the journey.

When driving, put your focus on the road conditions. Never drink and drive, or use your handphone while driving.

Extracted from: The Straits Times newspaper