Alcohol Limits Set to Change in 2025 – Don’t Drink and Drive

The Christmas period is one of the worst times on the roads for drivers having consumed alcohol. Whether it be the office party, the Christmas shopping spree, or just a general feeling of celebration, the temptation to drink is often greater, but getting behind the wheel of a vehicle can lead to devastating, fatal, consequences.

The current maximum permitted alcohol levels in Spain for general drivers is 0,25mg/l in breath, 0,5g/l in blood. For professional drivers it is 0,15mg/l in air and 0,3g/l in blood, and for those under 18 the level is zero. That said, it is highly recommended that we follow the lead of the level for minors, as the only safe level of alcohol consumption is zero.

We are often asked “how much alcohol can you drink without going over the limit?” To which there is no simple, definitive answer, as it varies for each individual person, and can vary due to many factors, including height and weight, and more. In general terms, having more than one small beer or more than a small glass of wine can push many people over the limit. Therefore, we echo our previous message that the only safe level is zero.

Alcohol is a danger to us medically, and is a danger when driving, one of the “fatal 4”, and despite decades trying to get the message across, there are still too many people who are not heeding it. In the summer of this year, the DGT carried out a new special week-long campaign to monitor and control alcohol and drugs. In total, 225,946 drivers were checked, of which 3,801 tested positive for alcohol and/or drugs.

This means that 543 drivers were detected every day behind the wheel after having consumed alcohol and/or drugs, the majority of them (89.3%) in preventive controls and the rest due to violations, incidents or for presenting symptoms.

Furthermore, according to the report presented last July by the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF), 53% of drivers who died in a road incident in 2023 and underwent autopsy and toxicological analysis tested positive for alcohol, drugs of abuse and psychotropic drugs, either alone or in combination.

Alcohol remained the most frequently detected substance in deceased drivers, at 32.7%, while drugs, predominantly cocaine and cannabis, appeared in 22.7% and psychotropic drugs in 15.7%.

A relevant fact is that the majority of drivers who died last year with positive toxicological results were men (90%) compared to women (9.7%).

The legislative changes have already begun in Spain to try to combat this problem through more enforcement, and in particular lowering the permitted alcohol level even further, a change likely to come into force in 2025.

The proposal of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) supported by the Government is to lower the general rate to 0.2 grams per litre of alcohol in the blood, compared to the current 0.5. That would mean, in general terms, that even one small beer or glass of wine would likely push most people over the limit, and so, aside from the allowance of residual amounts, the level would mean that you cannot drink anything and drive, thus forcing the message that the only safe amount of alcohol is zero.