When it comes to blood alcohol level when driving in Europe you need to know that the laws change thresholdsthe categories of drivers to whom stricter limits apply change and the contexts in which law enforcement forces monitor and sanction change. The most used comparative table in the field of road safety at a European level, that of the ETSC (European Transport Safety Council), shows that in many countries there is a standard threshold, but almost everywhere there is a different threshold for new drivers and professional drivers.
Another aspect to mention is the unit of measurement: some countries, such as Italy, use g/l, others mg/100 ml, still others ‰ (promille). To clarify, the classic 0.5 g/l is equivalent to 0.05% and is presented as half a gram per liter just to simplify, while 0.2 g/l is already a territory in which a glass can become a problem, especially for those with less experience or for those who drive for work. On this approach, the European Commission calls for a maximum limit of 0.5 g/l with zero thresholds for new drivers and professional drivers.
The European panorama in three blocks
Looking at Europe as a whole, a legible structure emerges but with exceptions. The first block is that of countries with limits standard 0,5 g/li.e. the most widespread threshold. Many Western and Southern European nations fall here, but with one detail: novice drivers and professional drivers drop to 0.2 or even 0.0. The second block is that of countries that choose 0.2 g/l as the standard, typically Northern Europe and part of Central/Eastern Europe, where the philosophy is more severe and the message is less ambiguous: drinking alcohol while driving must be a practically non-existent exception.
The third block, the clearest one, is the zero tolerance with 0.0 g/l, present in several countries, and here the question is not “how much can I drink” but “can’t I drink”: any detectable value exposes you to violation. In between there are two exceptions. The first is the Lithuaniawhich has a standard limit of 0.4 g/l and at the same time imposes 0.0 for novice drivers and professional drivers. The second is the United Kingdomwhere there is no single national limit because in England e Wales and in Northern Ireland the threshold is higher (80 mg/100 ml of blood) while in Scotland it is lower (50 mg/100 ml).
The blood alcohol limits country by country
In Italia the limit of 0.5 g/l applies only to standard drivers because for under 21s, new drivers and professional drivers the threshold is zero. It means that even a small amount of alcohol becomes a violation. In France the picture is only apparently similar because the general limit remains 0.5 g/l, but for new drivers it drops to 0.2 g/l. In Germania the standard threshold is still 0.5, but the setting for beginners is zero tolerance.
Moving to the Iberian Peninsula, the Spain maintains the limit of 0.5 g/l for ordinary drivers, but introduces lower thresholds for some categories while the Portugal clarifies the distinction because, alongside the 0.5 for everyone, it imposes 0.2 g/l for new drivers and professional drivers. The same pattern is found in Irelandwhere the general limit remains unchanged but is lowered for those who drive for work or have little experience while in Netherlands the border line is clear between those who have a recent driving license and those who don’t with the 0.2 g/l reserved for new drivers.
In Belgium the focus shifts to professional drivers, for whom the threshold is reduced while theAustria adopts a similar logic, distinguishing between ordinary driving and driving subject to greater responsibility. The picture changes when entering the Alpine and Nordic area, because in Swisswhile the standard limit remains at 0.5 g/l, for new drivers and professionals the threshold is lowered to 0.1 g/l, a value so close to zero that driving with any alcohol consumption is practically incompatible.
Even more severe is the choice of countries like Sweden e Norwaywhere the general limit is 0.2 g/l and the tolerance is reduced to a minimum in line with a very strict road safety policy. There Poland is placed on the same line while the Lithuania it is one of the most insidious exceptions because it sets the standard limit at 0.4 g/l, but introduces 0.0 for new drivers and professionals. Finally, in Central and Eastern Europe, countries such as Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia e Romania they chose the path of zero tolerance with the elimination of the gray area between permitted and prohibited.
There is no one-size-fits-all number of drinks
If there is a mistake made by those who drive abroad, it is to think that the variable is only geographical, when instead the most treacherous variable is the driver category. The ETSC shows that many states maintain 0.5 for everyone but drop to 0.2 or 0.0 for new drivers and professional drivers.
One of the most resistant myths is the conversion of the limit into permitted glasses but it is a shortcut that leads one astray because the blood alcohol level depends on weight, sex, metabolism, food consumed, drugs, speed of consumption and even quality of sleep. In practice it is not possible to indicate a universal count of safe drinks and the reason is simple: two people who drink the same quantity can end up with very different values. Relying on the concept of “I rule” is not only unscientific, it is also the quickest way to get the wrong country, wrong threshold and wrong assessment.
What to do before driving in a foreign country
Before traveling with your car it is therefore useful to carefully inform yourself about the limits set in the country of destination because the rules can change from one state to another. Not only that: in some cases, even within the same country there may be regulatory differences between regions or provinces with thresholds and sanctions that vary depending on the territory crossed.
It is also important to keep in mind that in many countries, especially in Eastern Europe, zero tolerance is in force it does not allow any margin compared to alcohol intake. When you are not sure that you are within the permitted limits, the most prudent choice is to completely avoid drinking before driving so as not to run risks from either a safety or legal consequences point of view.
