Every traveller should be aware that drink-driving limits vary between countries and can carry a range of punishments. This is due to the attitude towards alcohol in different places and their political tolerance. Here we will give you a breakdown of the different rules and policies associated with drink driving across the globe.
Driving inebriated is subject to different political tolerances and punishments according to each country. But they also all drink differently. Here’s a small world tour of the policies, sanctions and way of drinking around alcohol.
World tour of alcoholic consumption
Europe holds the world record for alcohol consumption, with an average of 10.8 litres drunk of pure alcohol every year. Within Europe, the countries drinking the most alcohol include Russia, South Korea, France, Lithuania, Portugal, Austria and Czech Republic. Whereas the more sober countries within Europe are Malta and Norway.
As a rule of thumb, it is those countries where alcohol is heavily prohibited that contribute to their lower levels of consumption. Countries based in the Middle East and Africa have low levels of recorded alcohol consumption, however, the production and regulation of alcohol is not that well monitored due to the strict laws about it’s existence, therefore these stats may be slightly blurred.
The type of alcohol consumed and style of which ‘drinking’ takes place also heavily changes throughout the world. For example, Beer is the alcohol of choice for USA whereas the French and Italians favour wine and spirits are most popular in Eastern Europe and Asia.
Drink driving Policies
There are now 7 European States who chosen to have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drink driving, these are; The Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia, Latvia and Estonia. Other countries outside the EU who have zero tolerance levels include Russia and Japan.
The rules are slightly less restricted as you move further North, where 0.2g of alcohol is permitted per litre of blood in Norway, Sweden and Poland.
The rest of Europe, such as France have a fixed limit of 0.4g – 0.5g, which can also be measured in ‘units.’ The UK, Ireland and Malta have the highest
The higher tolerance levels are mirrored in countries ‘across the pond’ in USA and Canada, as well as further East, in China.
Sanctions for drunk driving
Below is a breakdown of the penalties and fines you may well be faced with if caught driving under the influence of alcohol, country by country:
USA: Fine of up to $7,000, imprisonment up to 6 months and / or community service as well as up to 6 months license retirement. However, if you were involved in an accident whilst under the influence that resulted in death, you could face up to 10 years imprisonment.
China: Heavy fines, imprisonment, 5 years of license retirement and if an accident resulted in death, the death penalty can be incurred.
France: Up to €150,000 and 10 years imprisonment plus withdrawal of licenses.
Russia: Minimum €120 fine, prison terms ranging from 15 days to 9 years as well as 3 years license retirement.
Japan: Up to €7,000 fine, 5 years imprisonment and withdrawal of license for life. Passengers boarding a car driven by a drunk driver also face a fine of €2,500.
Some countries have been known to deliver more ‘creative’ forms of punishments, here’s a breakdown:
If caught drink driving in Turkey, you could find yourself being driven 20 miles away from your town and being forced to walk back with a police escort behind you.
In Poland, there are the regular threats of jail terms and fines, but drink drivers could also be subject to attending political conferences.
Finally, in Malaysia, if a man is caught drink driving, he is imprisoned, however the Malaysian twist is; if he is married, his wif
