Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska supports the DGT’s proposal to reduce the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.5 to 0.2 grams per litre.
Lowering the blood alcohol limit to 0.20 mg/l would effectively mean drivers would not be able to have even a single beer or glass of wine during meals. Professional drivers would need to abstain completely from alcohol.
On Thursday, Grande-Marlaska announced plans to start changing the law, saying that Spanish society is “ready” for this change, which aims to reduce road accidents further.
During a Forum Europa event, officials from the Ministry of the Interior explained the plan to lower the alcohol limit to 0.2 grams per litre, in line with countries like Sweden. This change would require the modification of Article 20 of the General Traffic Regulation.
The Ministry wants this change in response to requests from organisations representing those affected by traffic accidents. It is stated that alcohol or drugs are responsible for more than half of road traffic accidents.
Grande-Marlaska highlighted the steady drop in road deaths since the introduction of the points-based license system. Currently, Spain sees 36 deaths per million inhabitants, compared to the EU average of 47. The next goal is to reach the levels of countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Germany.