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Date Published: 13/09/2024

Spain considers lowering drink driving limits for all motorists

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Drivers in Spain are “mature enough” to accept the changes, says Minister of the Interior

Spain considers lowering drink driving limits for all motorists

The Spanish government is considering lowering the blood alcohol limit for drivers, with the aim of reducing road accidents. The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has announced plans to reduce the limit from 0.5 grams per litre of blood to 0.2 grams per litre for all motorists.

This decision comes after yet another horrifying summer that saw 241 road deaths, with alcohol or drugs involved in more than half of the accidents. Grande-Marlaska believes that motorists in Spain are “mature enough” to accept the change, which would bring this country in line with other nations like Sweden, Germany and Denmark.

What will change?

Currently, Spain allows drivers to have up to 0.5 milligrams of alcohol per litre of blood in their system, or 0.25 milligrams per litre of air in the case of breathalysers.

However, experts argue that even small amounts of alcohol can increase the risk of an accident, with the chances of an incident doubling when a driver has 0.3 grams of alcohol per litre of blood.

The new limit would apply to all motorists, with the exception of professional drivers, who would be subject to a limit of 0.3 grams per litre of blood. The change would be implemented through an update to the general traffic regulations, which would require the support of parliamentary forces.

It’s worth noting that this reduction was already put forward in June, but only for learner drivers.

Fatal traffic accidents

Although there was a 3% reduction in the number of fatal road accidents this summer compared to 2023, the number of accidents in which several people died actually went up, a statistic that is “unacceptable” to the Minister.

However, Grande-Marlaska pointed out that overall, road deaths in Spain have declined since the points-based driving licence was introduced, with a current level of 36 deaths per million inhabitants compared to the European Union average of 47 deaths.

Find all the latest motoring and travel news here or join our Driving in Spain Facebook group for regular updates

Image: Pixabay

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