To make the roads safer, the traffic authority has decided to introduce stricter rules on driving after drinking alcohol.
The Spanish traffic authority (DGT) has said it will lower the permitted blood alcohol level for drivers during 2025. The decision follows the government’s proposal to update the country’s traffic rules, which has been voted through in parliament. It means the maximum limit for drivers falls from 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood to 0.2.
The updated laws do not yet apply, but they are due to come into force during the year. They will also mean updated fine levels for those who do not follow the rules.
The DGT says that drivers under the influence of alcohol are one of the most frequent causes of road accidents. It estimates that they are behind between 30 and 50 per cent of all fatal accidents on the roads. The authority stresses that these accidents and deaths could have been avoided if all the country’s drivers drank responsibly and refrained from driving while under the influence.
The DGT measures the alcohol level in grams per litre (g/l) or its equivalent in exhaled air.
At present these levels apply:
Novice and professional drivers:
— Blood level: 0.3 g/l
— Breath: 0.15 mg/l
Others:
— Blood level: 0.5 g/l
— Breath: 0.2 mg/l
Changes
The new rules mean the maximum blood level falls to 0.2 g/l and the breath level to 0.10 mg/l for all drivers. That puts Spain on the same level as three other EU countries: Sweden, Poland and Estonia. There are also four countries in the union that have set the limit at 0.0 g/l: Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Romania.
Robbie Eriksson 11/02/2025. Svenska Magasinet.