Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Driving Drunk: Legal Limits vary by Country in Europe
.jpg)
So much a part of touring Europe is enjoying the fine wines and beers one can find there.
One shouldn't, however, enjoy these libations if they happen to be touring in a rental car.
Back home you probably know exactly how much you can drink while remaining under the legal limit for driving. In California where I live, for example, the legal limit is .08 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). Every time I renew my car registration I get a little chart that tells me I can have three drinks and still be under the limit. Personally, if I'm driving, I never take the chance; I either drink Coke, or cut myself off after one beer.
But in Europe, the laws are different. And, they vary by country. Those same three drinks that are okay to consume in England, for example, will put you behind bars in most other European countries. And, in places like the Czech Republic and Hungary, a single drink will do the trick.
Certainly the best advice is DON'T DRIVE if you are drinking--especially on the unfamiliar roads of a foreign country. If you are dumb enough to do so, here is a short list of legal limits by country. But please, let me know when you're visiting so I can stay off the roads.
0.08 = UK, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta (same as the United States)
0.05 = Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain
0.04 = Lithuania
0.02 = Norway, Poland, Sweden
Zero tolerance = Estonia, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary
Filed under: Food and Drink, Europe
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
Enzo Aug 10th 2007 5:12PM
There's a difference between having a few drinks and being wasted out of your mind.
You can crash and kill someone while talking on the cellphone, playing w/ the radio or reaching for something in the car.
Idiots who drive totally wasted should be locked up. But you shouldn't get a DUI for having a few drinks.
You can be dead tired and a worse driver than someone who's had 3 drinks.
josephchin1 Aug 10th 2007 9:34PM
mike, it would be fair to assume that the countries had similar rules on drinking. Countries in the EC (European Community) have standardized rules on taxes, measurements, and even road rules. Except for England and Ireland(perhaps) all the road signage is the same. And last year some of the English were in a stink because merchants had to use european measures instead of english ones. A pint is 500mL instead of 568 now. VAT is 17.5%, but countries can increase that. And just recently, they passed a bill limiting the maximum rate your cellphone company can charge you for roaming in the eurozone.
aido Aug 13th 2007 4:49PM
It's true that legal limits don't mean much when they're not compared with the levels of enforcement. Here in Ireland, convictions for drink driving have increased a lot in recent years, but it's cos of stricter enforcement. Only in the past month, it has become legal to breathalyze someone at random, without suspicion of them having been drinking necessary.
Will Clarke - shouldn't it be considered a more serious crime if you willingly reduce your ability to drive? Shouldn't laws try and reduce the willingness to do this?
josephchin1 - nope, we have km on the signs now too :D Makes crossing the border, er, fun.
Stiv Aug 14th 2007 3:28PM
Zero tolarance what nonsense.
A person could gargle with your average mouthwash a blow over .08% It's been a known fact that some systems will give a false positive after eating lots of garlic and smoking a cigar.
Killjoys says I
Iowa Lad Sep 3rd 2007 9:44PM
Iowa Lad had been on job assignment and vacation both in Europe over the years. Whereever you drive, learn and observe the conditions, the standard highway procedures, the international signs. Zero tolerance for the driver is good and if I'm driving no beer, wine or Black Russians! Autobahns and autostradas are safer then I-95 around the Beltway or the freeways in CA. An old WWII G-2 rule applicable also to driving in a foreign country: Pay attention to the essential elements of information (EEI) AND always the "locally prevailing conditions". Learning a bit of the language doesn't hurt either. Don't have much sympathy for fellow Amnericans who refuse to learn local conditions, including driving on THEIR host country roads when overseas. And most countries have excellent public transportation in and between population areas.