South Africa

Blood Alcohol Calculator – Standard Drinks & 0.05% SA Limit 🇿🇦

Calculate your estimated Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) instantly. Track standard drinks, view your sobriety curve, and check your status against South Africa's 0.05% legal driving limit.

0.05% BAC Legal limit

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ℹ️ Information

CONTEXT
🌎 Country
Show results indo
ABOUT YOU
Sex
⚖️ Weight

lbs

⏱️ Start time of drinking (optional) Time of your first drink (not required)

🕒

⏳ Or: hours ago —
0h6h12h18h24h

🍹🍸🍺 Drinks

Drink {{index+1}} 🍷

%

Maximum number of drinks reached.

The results will show up here...
📈 Results
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above the legal limit – do not drive. Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended. Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Drink Driving in South Africa

Ordinary licence holders 0.05%
Professional drivers (PrDP) 0.02%

Common Penalties in South Africa

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Drink driving (criminal — s65 NRTA) 0.05% – 0.149% BAC Criminal offence under s65 of the National Road Traffic Act — arrest and a court appearance, not just a fine.
Typical penalties
  • Criminal offence under section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act
  • Arrest, court appearance and possible fine
  • Possible licence suspension and imprisonment up to ~6 months
Offence type High-BAC / aggravated drink driving 0.15%+ BAC Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • Aggravating factor — courts push toward upper end of penalties
  • Fines up to ~R120,000; multi-year licence suspension possible
  • Culpable homicide charges possible if crash with injury or death
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →

Legal limit

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Based on SA law ·

Elimination rate

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Assumed average

Standard Drinks

{{ standardDrinks }}🍺
Approx. consumed

Pure Alcohol

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Pure alcohol consumed

Pure Alcohol (g)

{{ alcoholGrams }} g
Total ethanol consumed

Calories

{{ calories }} kcal
From alcohol only — mixers add more

Time over limit

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Estimated duration above the legal driving limit
For your own safety, we recommend using a rate no higher than the average.
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Legal limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above the legal limit – do not drive. Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended. Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Drink Driving in South Africa

Ordinary licence holders 0.05%
Professional drivers (PrDP) 0.02%

Common Penalties in South Africa

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Drink driving (criminal — s65 NRTA) 0.05% – 0.149% BAC Criminal offence under s65 of the National Road Traffic Act — arrest and a court appearance, not just a fine.
Typical penalties
  • Criminal offence under section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act
  • Arrest, court appearance and possible fine
  • Possible licence suspension and imprisonment up to ~6 months
Offence type High-BAC / aggravated drink driving 0.15%+ BAC Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • Aggravating factor — courts push toward upper end of penalties
  • Fines up to ~R120,000; multi-year licence suspension possible
  • Culpable homicide charges possible if crash with injury or death
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →
{{ afterLabel }} {{ $t('unit.' + units) }} Status
{{ result.time }} {{ result.drunkenness }}
  • Safe to drive, but stay cautious.
  • Close to the legal limit – driving not recommended.
  • Above the legal limit – do not drive.
Create a pop-up notification
📉 Sobriety Over Time
👮 Health impact and legal consequences
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Peak BAC: {{ peakBAC }}

💡 Tips: drink water, eat, and avoid driving until below the legal limit and ideally sober.

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Attention‼️ The results are only approximate, so make sure you are sober before driving.

About results
Current BAC

Your Current BAC shows your estimated blood alcohol concentration right now as a percentage. This number reflects how much alcohol is in your bloodstream and is used to assess impairment.

Legal limit

In South Africa, the legal driving limit for ordinary licence holders is 0.05% BAC (0.05 g per 100 ml). For professional drivers who hold a Professional Driving Permit (PrDP), the limit is lower at 0.02 g per 100 ml. Exceeding the limit is a criminal offence and can result in arrest, fines, and licence suspension.

Elimination rate

This shows the assumed average rate your body metabolizes alcohol — typically ~0.015 % BAC per hour. It’s an estimate of how fast your BAC decreases over time.

Standard Drinks

The number of Standard Drinks represents the approximate number of typical servings you’ve consumed. A standard drink is generally counted as about 10 grams of pure alcohol.

Pure Alcohol

This is the amount of pure alcohol (in ounces/grams) your body has absorbed so far, giving you a measure of total alcohol consumed.

Time vs. Sobriety Table

The table lists how your BAC is expected to change with each hour passed — and when a Start time of drinking is provided, it aligns these estimates with the exact time of day you began drinking. For example, if you started at 6:00 PM, the column will show your projected BAC at 6:00 PM (Now), 7:00 PM (1h), 8:00 PM (2h), etc., so you can clearly see when your BAC is likely to cross legal and safer thresholds as the day progresses. Icons or status indicators show whether the level is safe for driving at those specific clock times, making it easier to plan your departure or rest period.

Sobriety Over Time Graph

A visual line chart plotting your estimated BAC decline over hours. It helps you see when your BAC drops below legal and safer levels.

How Alcohol Affects You

This reference table shows ranges of BAC and typical effects on your body and behaviour — from mild alertness changes to significant impairment at higher levels.

Legal limit reached in / Sober in / Peak BAC

These summaries give quick key estimates:

  • Legal limit reached in: the time until your BAC likely falls below the legal driving limit.

  • Sober in: total time until BAC reaches ~0.000 %.

  • Peak BAC: the highest BAC value recorded in the session.

Data used for calculations

Five factors that determine your result

Weight
Body weight determines how alcohol distributes in the body — more weight means a lower blood alcohol concentration.
Sex
Men and women metabolise alcohol at different rates because of differences in body water content.
Amount
The amount of pure alcohol consumed is the main factor that determines your BAC result.
Strength
A higher strength (%) means more ethanol in the same drink serving.
Time
The time of your first drink shows how BAC changes hour by hour and when you'll be sober again.

How much does South Africa drink?

Alcohol consumption per adult, per year

7.8L

litres of pure alcohol per adult (15+), per year

Per adult, that is roughly:

459 beers ≈ 9/week
433 glasses of wine ≈ 8/week
488 shots ≈ 9/week
7.8 L
0.0 L Ø 4.0 12.0 L

95% above the regional average

Ranks #5 of 47 in Africa Ranks #52 of 188 in the World Average in Africa: 4.0 L

How neighbours compare

#1 Namibia 12.0L #1 Africa
#2 South Africa 7.8L #5 Africa
#3 Eswatini 7.2L #8 Africa
#4 Botswana 6.0L #14 Africa
#5 Zimbabwe 5.4L #17 Africa
#6 Mozambique 1.9L #34 Africa

How safe are the roads in South Africa?

Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, per year

24.5 /100k

road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, 2021

~30% of road deaths linked to alcohol WHO estimate, 2019 · 20–47%
279 road deaths per week WHO estimate, 2021
84 alcohol-linked deaths per week WHO-derived estimate
24.5
6.6 Ø 19.4 37.4

26% more road deaths than the regional average

#35 safest of 47 in Africa #176 safest of 195 worldwide Average in Africa: 19.4 per 100k

How neighbours compare

#1 Botswana 16.5 #17 Africa
#2 Mozambique 20.1 #24 Africa
#3 Namibia 22.0 #30 Africa
#4 South Africa 24.5 #35 Africa
#5 Eswatini 24.7 #36 Africa
#6 Zimbabwe 29.9 #45 Africa

Latest available year shown per country.

LIMITS NEARBY

BAC limits in neighbouring countries

Explore the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for drivers in neighbouring countries.

NA

Namibia

0.079%
Relaxed
BW

Botswana

0.05%
Moderate
ZW

Zimbabwe

0.08%
Relaxed
MZ

Mozambique

0.06%
Relaxed
SZ

Eswatini

0.05%
Moderate

Drink Driving in South Africa

Legal BAC limits for drivers in South Africa

Ordinary licence holders
0.05%
Moderate
Professional drivers (PrDP)
0.02%
Strict
Section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act sets 0.05 g/100 ml blood (0.24 mg/1 000 ml breath) for ordinary drivers and 0.02 g/100 ml for Professional Driving Permit holders. A 0.00% zero-tolerance limit has been signed into law under the National Road Traffic Amendment Act but is not yet in force.

Common Penalties in South Africa

Consequences of exceeding South Africa's 0.05 g/100ml limit (0.02 g/100ml for professional drivers)

0.05% – 0.149% BAC
Drink driving (criminal — s65 NRTA)
  • Criminal offence under section 65 of the National Road Traffic Act
  • Arrest, court appearance and possible fine
  • Possible licence suspension and imprisonment up to ~6 months
0.15%+ BAC
High-BAC / aggravated drink driving
  • Aggravating factor — courts push toward upper end of penalties
  • Fines up to ~R120,000; multi-year licence suspension possible
  • Culpable homicide charges possible if crash with injury or death

Tips for Responsible Drinking

Practical tips for safer drinking

Pace yourself
Stick to the "one drink per hour" rule – your liver needs time to process alcohol.
Eat before and while drinking
A solid meal slows alcohol absorption – an empty stomach raises BAC faster.
Drink water
After each alcoholic drink, have a glass of water – it reduces dehydration and health risks.
Don't drive
Even small amounts of alcohol impair reaction time. If in doubt, call a taxi or stay overnight.

Source: World Health Organization.

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