For almost sixty years, Britain has held its drink-driving line at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, a standard fixed in 1967 that now stands apart from most of its European neighbours. Across France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Spain, the more common benchmark is 50mg, and the penalties there climb steeply as readings rise. The question now before the government is whether a tradition of tolerance should give way to a stricter shared norm, with interlock devices offering a way back to the wheel for those who have lost it.
Britain Has Europe's Highest Drink-Drive Limit, and Lowering It Is Now on the Table
The limit has not moved since 1967.
Mark
Britain's limit hasn't changed since 1967. Why is that suddenly up for discussion?
Mimi
The government has included a consultation on lowering it among its new driving rules. The limit in England and Wales is 80mg per 100ml of blood, the highest in Europe.
Mark
And the rest of Europe is at 50?
Mimi
France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Spain all use 0.05 percent, which is 50mg. Portugal goes lower, 0.02 percent, for drivers within three years of passing their test.
Luke
Worth being careful there. The article covers five countries, not all of Europe. The claim that 80mg is the highest in Europe is stated, but it isn't demonstrated country by country.
Mark
Fair. What else is in the package besides the limit?
Mimi
Alcohol interlock devices for offenders once their ban ends, and new powers to suspend licences of people only suspected of drink or drug driving.
Luke
And note the word consultation. Nothing is changed yet. The article doesn't say what level is proposed or when anything takes effect.
Mark
Do the European penalties tell us anything?
Mimi
They show the limit is only part of it. Italy and Spain attach heavy fines, bans and even prison to readings just above 0.05 or 0.12. Germany can punish a driver at 0.03 percent if there's an accident.
Luke
Those are the figures as reported. The piece doesn't say whether stricter limits have cut drink-drive deaths in those countries, so it can't tell us what lowering the limit would achieve here.
Il Polso
- Britain's 80mg limit, unchanged since 1967, sits at the top of the European range and invites scrutiny.
- A government consultation on lowering the limit is stirring debate over whether the old standard still fits modern roads.
- Proposed alcohol interlock devices would become a condition for convicted drivers to regain their licences, reshaping the path back after a ban.
- Police could gain power to suspend licences of drivers merely suspected of drink or drug driving, tightening enforcement at the roadside.
- Rules across the continent are moving toward a 50mg standard, and Britain's direction now depends on what the consultation delivers.
For almost sixty years, Britain has held its drink-driving line at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, a standard fixed in 1967 that now stands apart from most of its European neighbours. Across France, Italy, Germany, Portugal and Spain, the more common benchmark is 50mg, and the penalties there climb steeply as readings rise. The question now before the government is whether a tradition of tolerance should give way to a stricter shared norm, with interlock devices offering a way back to the wheel for those who have lost it.
For nearly sixty years, the drink-driving limit in England and Wales has remained where it was set in 1967: 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, or 35µg per 100ml of breath. That figure now looks out of step. Among the government's new driving measures is a consultation on lowering it, and the comparison with the Continent is striking, since most of the major European countries use 50mg.
Across the Channel and beyond, the approach varies in its details but shares a common shape. France enforces 0.05 percent regularly, with fines and points in the lower band and confiscation and prison possible at the top. Italy keeps the same limit but punishes the lower band harder, with bans of up to six months. Germany adds a rule that bites even after a single drink: a reading above 0.03 percent combined with an accident can bring a charge. Portugal goes further for new drivers, dropping the limit to 0.02 percent for those who passed their test within three years, and doubling penalties at higher readings. Spain pairs the 0.05 percent line with some of the sharpest sanctions, including bans of up to four years and prison for the most serious readings.
The proposals under discussion in Britain go beyond the number itself. Convicted drink or drug drivers may be required to fit an alcohol interlock device as a condition of driving again once a ban ends. If adopted, the consultation's outcome would bring British rules considerably closer to those already in force across much of Europe.
For nearly sixty years, the legal line for drinking and driving in England and Wales has sat in the same place. It was set in 1967 at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, or 35µg per 100ml of breath, and it has not moved since. Among the new driving measures the government has introduced is a consultation on lowering it.
The figure matters because of where it leaves Britain. Compared with the rest of Europe, the 80mg limit is the highest. Most of the major continental countries the Evening Standard looked at use 50mg per 100ml of blood, written as 0.05 percent.
The consultation is not the only change on the table. People convicted of drink or drug offences may be required to have an alcohol interlock device fitted to their vehicle. Under the proposal, that would be a condition of being allowed to drive again once a ban has run its course. Authorities would also gain new powers to suspend the driving licences of people merely suspected of drink or drug driving.
In France, the limit is 0.05 percent, and police check and enforce it regularly. Between 0.05 and 0.08 percent, drivers can expect fines, penalty points and possibly a suspension. Above 0.08 percent, the fines are significantly higher, suspensions are longer and the vehicle can be confiscated. In the most severe cases, prison is possible.
Italy shares the same limit but is harsher at the lower end. A driver found between 0.05 and 0.08 percent can face a ban of up to six months and a fine that may exceed €2,000. Heavier fines, suspensions and prison sentences follow above that level.
Germany also sets the limit at 0.05 percent, but adds a rule aimed at drivers who have had even one drink. If a driver has more than 0.03 percent, or 30mg per 100ml, and is involved in an accident, they can be punished for drink driving. A reading between 0.05 and 0.11 percent can bring a fine of up to €1,000 and a driving ban.
Portugal's limit is 0.05 percent, but it falls to 0.02 percent for anyone who passed their driving test within the last three years. Drivers caught between 0.05 and 0.08 percent could face a fine of more than €1,250 and a ban of up to a year. From 0.08 to 0.12 percent, those punishments are doubled.
Spain has the same 0.05 percent limit and some of the more severe penalties. From 0.05 to 0.12 percent, a driver could face a fine of up to €1,000 and a ban of up to six months. Above 0.12 percent, the charges rise sharply, with larger fines, bans of up to four years and up to six months in prison, depending on the reading.
What happens next rests on the consultation. If the limit is lowered, and interlocks become a condition of regaining a licence, British rules would move closer to those across much of Europe.
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Politics & Governance