Paddy’s Day is a great time to party and celebrate, when everyone is Irish, and are welcomed into a fun packed world of community focus, but if you are planning to celebrate with a drink or three, please leave the car at home!
Alcohol and driving are a deadly combination. Not only for those who consume alcohol, but also for the many innocent people who are impacted by the decisions of those who choose to drink and drive.
Even the smallest amount of alcohol can impact the ability to drive safely, and as the effects tend to increase over the period in which alcohol is consumed, the detrimental impact on our ability is not always immediately apparent.
We are often asked “what is the alcohol limit in Spain?”, and whereas there is a limit which we will explain shortly, the truthful answer is that it doesn’t matter what the limit is, because when we tell you, it is guaranteed that you will not be able to calculate correctly what that actually means in terms of how much you can drink, especially as it differs for every single person. So, the only safe limit is zero.
Don’t believe us? Well, currently, the 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. So now you know the official maximum limits, challenge yourself to calculate what that actually means. How many beers can you have? How many glasses of wine? There are guides, but, as we mentioned, they differ from person to person, and so, the only safe level is zero.
The figures relating to alcohol and driving speak for themselves, as more than half of drivers who died on the roads tested positive for alcohol, drugs or other prohibited substances while driving during the last year recorded, also confirming that between 30 and 50 percent of all fatal incidents are now directly linked to alcohol consumption while driving in Spain.
That is why Spain is set to enforce a near-zero limit on all drivers. It was determined that an actual zero rate was not enforceable, as a small amount of alcohol could be consumed unknowingly, such as in food, for example.
Very shortly, the maximum alcohol level allowed while driving in Spain will drop from the current 0.5 g/l of alcohol in the blood to just 0.2 grams, and from the current 0.25 g/l in expired air to 0.1 g/l in expired air, amongst the lowest in Europe.
However, although that is set to change soon, it is no excuse to try and push the boundaries now, as we must reiterate, the only safe level is zero.
Amongst the most recent data, it is shown 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. Another important fact is that the majority of drivers who died last year with positive toxicological results were men (90%) compared to women (9.7%).
Enjoy St Patrick’s Day, enjoy being Irish for at least the day, but please enjoy responsibly, leave the car at home, and remember that the only safe level is zero.
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