Is it illegal to ride a bicycle under the influence of alcohol?
You won’t be the first person to have thought, “I won’t drive to the pub; I’ll ride my bike and then I can ride home and I won’t get booked!”. And you won’t be the last, either.
Riding a bike is widely considered to be operating a vehicleDoing so under the influence of alcohol is punishable by lawFines and prison time may apply
But the fact is that if you ride a bicycle in Australia while under the influence of alcohol, you could find yourself in serious strife.
Bike riders are considered to be road users in most jurisdictions, and as such, they are expected to abide by the road rules just like someone driving a car, SUV, ute, bus, truck or any other vehicle.
There are some differentiating factors, of course. You don’t pay registration fees for a bike. You don’t need a licence for a bike. And in most cases, you cannot be subjected to a breath test or any other type of test to check your blood alcohol levels – unless you end up in a hospital.
So, here’s a rundown of the potential penalties and the applicable rules for bicycling after beers for Australia.
New South Wales
Under the state’
