Drunk Driving
Blood Alcohol Limits
Worldwide
Copyright ©, 'Drive and Stay Alive, Inc.', 2003 onwards. All rights reserved.
IMPORTANT: click here to read the DISCLAIMER
Home Page
Drunk-Driving Index
International Road Safety in the News
Go To Navigation Bar
The first table, below, shows the latest known blood alcohol concentration limits (B.A.C.) from various countries
around the world and is updated whenever possible.
If you know of any unlisted or amended limits, please DO contact us -- preferably with a verifiable source for the
information, such as the URL for a reputable website. (Info' without such sources may still be added to the list
but will be shown as unconfirmed.)
International Blood Alcohol Limits
as a percentage ‘Blood Alcohol Concentration’ (BAC)
Tables and the contents thereof are copyright ©, Eddie Wren, and 'Drive and Stay Alive Inc.,' 2003 onwards. All rights reserved. Please note that there is an error in the NHTSA document: "On DWI Laws in Other Countries" - click here for details
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
Country BAC limit (%) Source Albania Angola
Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahrain
Belarus Belgium Belize
Bosnia Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Cambodia
Canada Chile
China
Costa Rica
Croatia (see note 51)
Cyprus
Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador
Estonia Fiji
Finland France Georgia Germany Ghana
Greece Hungary Iceland India
Ireland Israel Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lebanon
0.01 ?
0.05 0.00 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.00 0.04 0.05 0.08
0.05 0.08 0.05 ?
0.08 0.08 0.03 0.05 (0.49)
0.05 0.09 changing to 0.05
9 0.00 0.05 0.08
0.00 / "0,2 per milles" 0.08
0.05 0.05 0.03
0.05 0.08
0.05 0.00
0.05
0.03 / 0.015
0.08
0.05
0.05
0.08
0.03
0.00
0.00
0.05
?
1, 2, 9, 43, 46, 50 Unknown
9 8 4, 5, 6, 8 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 42, 50 9, 43 Moslem law
1, 43 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 42. 50 12
9 5 1, 2, 9, 20, 43
Unknown
3, 5, 9 15
16
37
1, 2, 8, 42, 43
50 / 52
1, 2, 5, 8, 42,43, 50 38, 45
8, 20, 46 / 47, 50 17
1-5,8,31,42, 43, 50
1, 2,3,4,5,9,42, 50 9, 20
1, 2, 5, 42, 43, 50
18
3, 4, 5, 8, 42, 50 1, 2, 8, 43, 46, 50
1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 42 11 / 34
3, 4, 5, 8, 50 2, 4, 8 9, 42, 43, 50
30
33
35
8, 17
1, 2, 8, 43, 50 Unknown
http://www.driveandstayalive.com/articles%20and%20topics/drunk%20driving/artcl--drunk-driving-0005--global-BAC-limits.htm
Page 1 / 3
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Mali
Malta
Mauritius
Moldova, Republic of Monaco Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Pakistan
Peru
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Puerto Rico Saudi Arabia
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
Serbia (and Montenegro) Singapore
Slovak Republic / Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
United Kingdom
USA
Uzbekistan
Yugoslavia
Zimbabwe
0.04 / 0.00
0.08
0.05
0.08
0.00
0.08
0.08
0.03
0.05
0.05
0.05
0.08
0.02
0.00
0.05 / 0.06
0.02
0.05 / 0.02
0.00
0.05 / 0.00
0.08
0.00
0.05
1, 2, 9, 17, 43, 50 / 46
0.08
0.00
0.05
0.05
0.05 / 0.053
0.05
0.02 0.10 / 0.15
0.02
0.05 from Jan 1, 2004
0.05
0.08
0.05
0.05
0.03
0.08
8, 23 0.00
0.08
0.08 (now all 50 states)
0.00
0.05
0.08
Moslem law
1, 2,3,4,5,8,43,50 21
17
Moslem law 36
9, 50 17
9, 17, 27 2 14
1, 2,3,4,5,8,43,50 3, 5, 8, 39
1, 2, 27, 42, 43 Moslem law
8 / 17 1, 2, 3, 42, 50 2, 4, 8, 42, 50 / 43
1, 2, 8, 43, 46
22 (q.v.) / 43
44
Moslem law
42, 43
1, 2, 8, 43, 46, 50
1, 5, 8, 43, 50 7, 9, 14, 32, 48
8 / 49 1, 2, 5, 43, 50
unconfirmed
24 / 13
1,2,3,4,5,8,42,43, 50 29, 42
25 (& see 40)
10
26, 27
1, 2, 8, 27, 43 9, 27 41
1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 43, 50
2, 3, 5, 8 unconfirmed
1, 2 10
Groupings
(n.b. *where two different levels are given, above, for one country, the higher reading has been used below) BAC Countries
Religion
The five listed countries currently believed to have a zero blood-alcohol limit primarily or specifically
for reasons of religion are: Bahrain, Mali, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, & UAE -- these are NOT included
in any DSA totals or calculations showing what proportion of countries fall into certain BAC bands
Zero Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Hungary, Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Romania, Slovak Republic,
(Uzbekistan) (10 countries)
0.01%
Albania 0.02%
0.03%
0.04% Estonia*, Norway, Poland, (Sudan), Sweden (5)
China, Georgia*, India, Japan, Moldova, Turkmenistan (6)
Belarus, Lithuania* (2)
0.05%
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Macedonia, Monaco,
Namibia, Netherlands, Portugal*, Russia*, Serbia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Yugoslavia (35) 0.06%
0.08%
Peru*
Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Fiji, Ghana, Ireland, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Malaysia,
Malta, Mauritius, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Tanzania, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA,
Zimbabwe (21)
0.10%
Possibly Swaziland, but see 0.15%, below. [Many American states had this limit but Delaware was
the last to sign up for a 0.08% limit, in July 2004.]
0.15%
Swaziland* (1) (82 applicable countries, excluding religion-mandated zeros)
Note: At least 72% (i.e. 60) of the 83 applicable countries have a BAC limit =/< 0.05% (excluding religiously-mandated zero limits)
Sources for Table
http://www.driveandstayalive.com/articles%20and%20topics/drunk%20driving/artcl--drunk-driving-0005--global-BAC-limits.htm
Page 2 / 3
1.
‘P e r m i s s i b l e L e v e l o f A l c o h o l i n t h e B l o o d’.
T h e O r g a n i s a t i o n f o r E c o n o m i c C o-o p e r a t i o n a n d D e v e l o p m e n t (‘OECD’) http://www1.oecd.org/cem/topics/safety/Alcohol.pdf
2.
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. ‘Collection and Dissemination of Information on National Requirements Concerning Road
Safety (28 Jan., 2003) Table 6.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
‘Alcohol Health and Research World, 1993,’ as quoted by The Christian Science Monitor, September 3 1997 (Peter Grier).
Alcoweb http://www.alcoweb.com
‘Traffic Tech’ number 221, May 2000; NHTSA. http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/traftech/pub/tt221.html
‘A-09 Alcohol Laws in Australia’ SOGOG Public Information; State Library of NSW. ‘A Profile of Fatal Injuries in South Africa,’ SA Health Info., 2001. http://www.sahealthinfo.org/violence/nimssannual2001.htm
International Center for Alcohol Policies (correct as at Sept., 2002)
International Center for Alcohol Policies (correct as at May, 2002) [ibid]
The Norwegian Institute of Transport Economics (TØI): 'Implementation of Road Accident Countermeasures -- Problems and Possibilities -Examples from Africa and Scandinavia'
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
Delhi Traffic Police Website
The Belize North website
The Go To Africa - Swaziland Travel webpage
Budget Car Rental page for Namibia
Columbus Travel Guides -- Chile
The Shanghai Star newspaper -- March 13, 2003
Alcohol Control Policies -- World Health Organisation (undated, but some is out of date)
Understanding the knowledge and attitudes of commercial drivers in Ghana regarding alcohol impaired driving, Injury Prevention, 2002
Driving in Japan -- City of Obihiro
The Scottish Executive -- International Alcohol Policies: A selected literature review
http://www.erceurope.com/macedonia/life_driving.php
BBC World News, 24 July 2003. Russia's limit is raised from 0.00% to 0.05%
Alpine Car Rental -- Singapore page
HotelUS.com
Taiwan Beverage Alcohol Forum (see also reference 40)
The Globe Magazine
ABC News -- America the Irresponsible -- Dec 19, 2002.
Expatriate Information
TISPOL -- The European Traffic Police Network -- Newsroom
Jamaica Police -- breath test webpage
Finland Police, drunk driving webpage (which also gave the limit for "aggravated drunk driving" at 0.12%)
BuaNews, Pretoria: Article -- "More Motorists Drive Under Influence of Alcohol", December 29, 2003.
Stars and Stripes, Pacific edition, Sunday, January 4, 2004; 'Base uses sign to deter DUIs', "In Japan, the legal limit is a 0.03 blood-alcohol level,
far lower than the 0.08 limit in many U.S. states..."
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Confirmation of existing data, by the India Embassy, Washington DC, Jan 2004.
E-mail from the Jordan Embassy, Washington DC, Jan 12, 2004.
E-mail from the Mali Embassy, Washington DC, Jan 12, 2004.
E-mail from Katharina Schlager, UK Embassy, Costa Rica, Jan 13, 2004.
E-mail from UK Embassy, Ecuador, January 15, 2004.
"800 micrograms of alcohol, per litre of breath... is twice the legal limit." New Zealand Police press release, 22 Jan., 2004.
The China Post, Taiwan, May 7 2004, in an article about the arrest of entertainer Jackie Wu: "...drivers found to contain a alcohol-blood density
level of between 0.25 and 0.55 mg/liter face a fine ranging from NT$15,000 to NT$60,000, and a one-year revocation of license..."
41.
Article in the New Vision (Kampala), 23 June 2004, covering an interview with Ahimbisibwe, the Acting Commissioner of Police for Traffic and
Road Safety, including: "...regulations on alcohol [have] fixed the maximum limit at 80mg /100mls..."
42.
43.
44.
45.
Article: "Advanced technology for safer vehicles and roads in Sweden", on the Sweden.se website
OECD -- Permissible Level of Alcohol in the Blood
Article on the eTrucker website: Blood Alcohol Limit Now .08 Nationwide
E-mail from Jesús Gómez, ANETA, www.aneta.org.ec July 2004: "In Ecuador (South America) a 0,8 bac is a serious offence, penalty: prision from 30 to 180 days and $40 (dollars) fine. Therefore, the bac limit to be able to drive a car is 0,79."
46.
47.
Article: "Stamping Out Drunk Driving [in Croatia]" in Transitions, 20 August, 2004.
"Permitted alcohol concentration in blood is up to 0,2 per milles." Estonian Road Administration; viewed on 21 October, 2004 (and brought to
our attention by Andraes Naegele, of the EU, to whom our sincere thanks).
48.
"The legal blood alcohol limit[in South Africa] is 0.05 percent." From an article Pahad's wife fined for drink-driving on the iafrica.com website; 28
May, 2004.
49.
50.
51.
Stars and Stripes. Article: USFK considers halving alcohol level needed to prompt drunk-driving charge December 26, 2004 (U.S. Forces Korea)
Drinking and Driving, from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, December 2004.
On December 3, 2005, Drive and Stay Alive, Inc., received an effectively anonymous e-mail stating that "Croatia now has a zero blood alcohol
limit" but we have no further information at this stage to substantiate this claim.
52.
Article: 'Cyprus to Slash Drink Driving Limit', January 2006, the Cyprus Mail (and brought to our attention by Chris Collins, Road Safety Project
Officer. Stoke-on-Trent City Council, England, to whom our sincere thanks).
It is important, at this juncture, to comment on one important document that covers international drink-driving legislation,
limits and punishments, 'On DWI Laws In Other Countries' from the NHTSA (DOT HS 809 037, March 2000). In Table 2
('Summary of Sanctions for First and Multiple Offenses') it is stated that "suspension of license is possible, though rare for a
first offense [in the UK]" and this is a surprising error as a suspension (a.k.a. "disqualification") is effectively mandatory and
inescapable in all except the rarest circumstances in Britain, and this has been the case for at least thirty years.
ARTICLES AND TOPICS
TIP OF THE DAY
FOR YOUNG DRIVERS
INFORMATION SECTION
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CONTACT US
IN THE NEWS
FOR PARENTS OF YOUNG
DRIVERS
LINKS
http://www.driveandstayalive.com/articles%20and%20topics/drunk%20driving/artcl--drunk-driving-0005--global-BAC-limits.htm
Page 3 / 3