Directorate General of Road Traffic (DGT) Spain announced blood alcohol level reduction allowed to drivers, making it virtually impossible to consume anything before driving. The numbers drop from 0.5 grams per liter of blood to 0.2 and 0.25 milligrams per liter of exhaled air 0.10Although we have been able to indulge in a few drinks up until now, most people test positive for almost any drink.
Of course, this is not an exact figure. The amount of alcohol that remains in our blood after drinking depends on many factors. The most important are probably gender, age and weightHowever, it is also influenced by others, for example, what we ate, the time of day we ate it, or genes. The latter is important. There are people who digest alcohol worse, so its level in the blood and exhaled air will be significantly higher than normal.
In any case, generally speaking, it can be done approximate calculation. There are calculators that calculate blood alcohol levels for a certain number of drinks, taking into account some of the factors mentioned above. The DGT itself has calculated the number of drinks that would test positive for alcohol, and the general conclusion is that the only absolutely safe thing to do is to drink nothing.
Why was the permitted blood alcohol level reduced so much?
The DGT has its own reasons for taking such extreme measures. From August 19 to 25 this year, 225,946 breathalyzers drivers, of which 2156 tests came back positive for the current blood alcohol level. That is, 0.25 g/l in exhaled air. Of these positive results, 1930 were detected during preventive testing: 108 after committing an offense, another 107 as a result of an accident, and 11 in the presence of obvious symptoms of intoxication.
It is understandable that drivers become overconfident and end up drinking. more than possible. And it’s not just a problem because of the fines for violators. It’s also very dangerous. It’s assumed that More than half of drivers died in 2023 In road accidents in Spain, the level of alcohol or drugs in the blood exceeded the permitted level. They endanger themselves and the people they meet on the road. The smallest difference can be key, because at a blood alcohol level of 0.5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, the risk of getting into an accident is multiplied by two, and at 0.8 the risk increases. 5 times more.
The solution could be a zero blood alcohol limit, so drivers know that no matter what they drink, they can be fined. We are not there yet, but we are close, as the new DGT limits are exceeded by the vast majority of drinks.
What kind of drinks are these?
The DGT made its own calculations. man from 70 to 90 kg or woman from 50 to 70 kg. In each of these cases a third of beer This would mean a blood alcohol level of between 0.21 and 0.28 for men and between 0.34 and 0.48 for women. No one could drink even a third of it without getting a fine.
The same thing happens with women. a glass of wine with a volume of 100 ml. The blood alcohol level will be 0.25. For men it would be slightly lower, but you can’t stick your hand in the fire, because everyone tests negative, since in some cases it can reach 0.2.
A small glass of vermouth or a shot of strong liquor. For men they will not reach 0.2, but for women they will reach 0.2. And finally, it is better not to even smell strong drinks.
Calculator that will determine the level of alcohol in the blood
To get a more approximate idea, we can use this calculator, but do not forget that the result will need to be multiplied by 10since these are grams of alcohol per 100 ml of alcohol. And also not forgetting that these are approximate data and that we, due to our circumstances, can give a higher alcohol rate. The best will always be not to take risks. For us, for our economy and for the people we meet on the road.
Source: Hiper Textual
