Spain wants to lower blood alcohol limit for all drivers

Last week, 221 individuals were charged for having a BAC of nearly  2.5 times the legal limit

Police control.
Police control. / Laura Fíguls
Catalan News

Catalan News | @catalannews | Barcelona

September 13, 2024 01:07 PM

Spain's Interior Ministry, responsible for public security and internal affairs in Spain, is looking to lower the allowable blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for all drivers.

The proposed limits would lower the maximum BAC to 0.2 (mg/l) for blood and 0.1 for exhaled air for all drivers.

Currently, the limit is 0.5 for private drivers and 0.3 grams for professional drivers, with the air limit being half of that.

According to the Ministry, the goal is to present the proposal to Congress as soon as possible.

However, implementing these changes would require amending Article 20 of the Traffic Regulation, which currently establishes the existing limits.

In the past week, Spanish authorities conducted 221,752 alcohol detection tests, resulting in 2,156 positive readings.

Among those, 1,930 were identified during preventive checks, while others tested positive after infractions, accidents, or displayed signs of intoxication.

Of the 2,156 drivers who tested positive, 221 have been charged for exceeding a BAC of 0.6 mg/l in exhaled air and are set for judicial processing.

Additionally, 12 drivers are facing legal action for refusing to take breathalyzer tests.