All over the press when i was there last month. Very low levels tolerated now…I’m paranoid about drinking & driving, both in EU & UK so not bothered, but hope it keeps more of the long weekend lunch diners & drinkers off the road.
I regularly see road blocks coming into moraira, stopping every vehicle..don’t know what they are looking for.
I was once stopped around midnight two years ago…I volunteered to drive and my 4 passengers were as newts. Didn’t have to do a sobriety test but the car must have reeked of alcohol…I was off walking early the next morning and had zero alcohol in my blood.
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What's the actual limit now?
England's limit, it's lower in Scotland, is increasingly an outlier.
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Spain currently 0.5g/l, 0.3 g/l for novice drivers & professional drivers. Zero limit for under 18s.
New limit is 0.2g/l, which is on a par with Norway & Sweden.
I don’t know what it is in England & Scotland, but probably a lot higher than 0.2g/l.
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35 in England (in breath).
22 in Scotland.
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0.8 in England, 0.5 in Scotland (I believe there are moves afoot to reduce England to the 0.5).
When last touring Norway, I hadn't really thought about the much lower limit until, heading South near Mo-I-Rana every driver Northbound was being tested. (Police with buckets : I genuinely thought they were collecting for (police) charities, but the buckets were for discarded mouthpieces). I'd have passed an English test, might have been marginal at 0.2 though :-( . Luckily, southbound wasn't included in the exercise.
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t&e,
I’m planning a Scandi motoring trip, which will be a different post, but would appreciate any feedback from your trip.
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Depends whereabouts and how far you want to go (I assume "outdoors" is part of the agenda).
Over the years we've done Norway/Sweden four or five times, dallied in Denmark in passing, and Finland once (back through Sweden round the Gulf of Botnia, though the Finland might not be the most sensible of destinations at the moment).
Scandinavia is on the possible list for next year's tour.
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The Scottish limit is 22 v 35 in England.
It's now 11 years since the lower limit was introduced.
However, there appears to be no difference in the accident, serious injury or death rates.
My survey of Drink Drivers in the local paper sees the levels in court 2,3,...6 times the DD limit.
2 x the Scottish level is well over the English level.
What has changed?
Golf clubs & Bowling clubs have felt the pinch - the bar was a source of income that kept them afloat. Round of golf and heading home after 18th hole instead of the 19th.
Country pubs/restaurants also suffered.
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I don't think pubs need any more nails in the coffin but dropping the limit here by 75% would finish them off.
I don't drink much at all but on a summer's day I love to motor out with the roof down and have literally a couple of leisurely pints and a meal in a country pub. I like brown beer. Not sure I'd bother for a couple of tins of interest free Guinness.
I wouldn't dispute that even a couple of pints of weak beer affects the reactions and maybe it's enough to disinhibit some people. Whether that is a problem depends where you start from. But I suppose we legislate for the lowest common denominator.
Perhaps it could be phased in like the smoking ban idea (don't bother writing in, that was a weak attempt at drollery).
Happy New Year (but not too happy). I'll be watching TV on NYE, probably the worst night of the year for going to the pub!
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Ai Says
Yes, drink-drive limits and enforcement in the UK have historically reduced road deaths, with significant drops seen since the 1970s, but recent studies suggest lowering the limit further (like in Scotland) had minimal impact on fatalities, indicating existing laws and overall road safety measures (like awareness campaigns) are key, with "lethal but legal" drivers posing a continued concern.
Evidence for Reductions
Early Successes: In 1979, 26% of UK road deaths involved drink-driving; this fell to 15% by 1989, showing initial limits worked.
Long-Term Decline: The proportion of deaths in drink-drive collisions has generally trended downwards, though fluctuating, over the decades.
Impact of Lowering Limits (Scotland Example)
Minimal Effect on Fatalities: A study analyzing Scotland's reduced limit (0.50mg/ml vs. England/Wales' 0.80mg/ml) found no statistically significant effect on fatalities, suggesting limits alone aren't the sole driver of change.
"Lethal but Legal" Drivers: This highlights a problem with drivers above intoxication levels but below the legal limit, who still significantly increase crash risk.
Current Situation & Concerns
Plateauing Reductions: While overall drink-drive casualties have fallen, recent trends show fatalities rising, with 2022 seeing the highest death toll in 13 years (300 deaths).
Reoffenders & Enforcement: A core group of offenders (especially men) continues to risk lives, with concerns about enforcement and testing gaps.
Ongoing Efforts: The government runs campaigns like THINK! to promote behavioral change, and discusses updated road safety frameworks.
Key Takeaway
While tightening limits and enforcing laws initially achieved major reductions, the focus has shifted to the 'grey area' of 'lethal but legal' drivers, suggesting awareness, testing, and broader interventions are crucial to tackle this persistent issue.
Zero says
Reducing the DD limit is easy to do, makes the Government look pro active. But is actually damaging to the economy and will no effect on the already very low casualty rate because the hardened core of drivers who drink will not change. The level is fine where it is.
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I've noticed that drug related driving offences seem to be overtaking the number of drink driving offences reported in our local paper.
The odd thing is that the drink driving cases appear to attract stiffer fines.
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>> The odd thing is that the drink driving cases appear to attract stiffer fines.
>>
Since the level of the fine is required to take into account the offender's financial circumstances, then possibly the drunks have more disposable income (remaining) than the druggies. ;-)
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If you don’t drink and drive it doesn’t really affect you what the limit is. Best thing that has happened in last few years is the huge improvement in quality of alcohol free beers. Quite happy to drink the stuff if going out for the night.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Tue 30 Dec 25 at 16:49
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>> Best thing that has happened in last few years is the huge improvement in quality
>> of alcohol free beers. Quite happy to drink the stuff if going out for the
>> night.
>>
I totally agree. Love the BrewDog AF and Guinness Zero beers.
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there are still some horrors out there tho, like wise there some tasty no-secco's and some swill. never had a nice AF red wine tho.
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The Guinness 0% is OK. The only problem I had was that my expectations were raised by all the positive reviews. To me it’s still lacking in the body and taste you get in alcoholic beer. It’s a lot better than old style low alcohol efforts though.
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For me.they have reached the level of passable but still not enjoyable. I'd go to the pub looking forward to a good pint, whereas if I am there for social reasons I might choose the zero Guinness as the lesser evil, but I'd be drinking as little of it as I needed to was a meal.down.
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>there are still some horrors out there tho,..
I'm pretty much teetotal these days except for foreign holidays. I've found Leffe Blonde 0% quite decent if you like a lager type beer. Currently on offer on Amazon, £16 for 24 x 250ml bottles.
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Spain reducing alcohol drink drive limits - Bromptonaut
