Alcohol behind the wheel has become one of the great conversation issues of recent times in mobility in Spain. Since the DGT announced that it wants to change the maximum permitted rates at the wheel, the Internet and social networks have been filled with articles with supposed changes in this regard.
The reality: everything remains the same.
An intention. At the moment, that’s the only thing we have. The maximum alcohol rate allowed at the wheel remains the same as always despite the fact that the DGT and the Ministry of Interior have been favorable to a reduction of these rates until the consumption of a beer is impracticable if we are going to put ourselves behind the wheel.
With the changes, the DGT wants to punish alcohol consumption if it is conducted. In your own words, you cannot do it with a 0.0 rate because it can generate some judicial conflicts in very rare cases but in practice you cannot drink.
What is applied right now? What is currently applied is, in general, a maximum alcohol rate of 0.5 gr/l of alcohol in exhaled air or 0.25 mg/l of blood alcohol. Overcoming these margins can mean a fine of up to 1,000 euros if we are repeat offenders and will subtract six points in the driving card.
What do you want to approve? The intention is to reduce the maximum limit allowed to 0.20 gr/l of blood alcohol. According to the data provided by DGT itself, a driver could barely take a cane before putting behind the wheel. On average, a woman would have impossible to combine the steering wheel and the drink of alcohol, however small.
Is there any change? No, none. And there is also no clear date of when this measure will be approved or, even, if approved. At the moment we talk about intentions that need to pass the approval of the Congress of Deputies as it forces to change the General Regulations of Circulation and the Law on Traffic, Motor Vehicles and Road Safety.
Source: DGT
Nor in ethylometers? No, either. In recent days, information that speaks of new devices capable of detecting a positive without blowing have been popularized. These devices have been called proximity alcoholic and, as reflected in some publications, do not need the driver to blow.
These supposed new ethylometers are used by the Civil Guard to expedite traffic in the controls. They ensure that just by bringing it to the mouth you can check whether a driver driver or not. In case of positive, the driver has to submit to blood tests to confirm the sanction.
It’s true? As almost always, yes and no. Indeed, this way of proceeding exists but from the DGT they make it clear that nothing has changed. It is working as it had been doing so far with the same as always. That is, we will have to blow if we reach an breathalyzer control.
As they assure us from traffic, these alcoholic have a proximity function that is applied in very specific cases, such as a respiratory disease. Only in an assumption of this type is activated and, subsequently, is certified with the blood analysis if a positive occurs.
In WorldOfSoftware we have also contacted the Civil Guard to confirm if something has changed in its way of acting but at the time of writing these lines we have not obtained an answer.
Photo | DGT
In WorldOfSoftware | Why it is absurd to play sports to try to “save you” from breathalyzer control and why other tricks are even worse
