How long should you wait to drive after drinking in Spain?
The traffic authorities in Spain plan to reduce the drink-driving limit to practically zero in the near future
With alcohol playing a growing role in deadly traffic accidents in Spain and so much conflicting information out there, the big question for many drivers is: how long do you really need to wait before it’s safe to get behind the wheel? Get this wrong and you’ll be putting others in serious danger, not to mention risking a driving ban.
According to the Spanish Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), the number of fatal crashes involving a driver who had been drinking rose by 38% between 2018 and 2022, reaching 312 deaths. In response, the DGT wants to introduce stricter alcohol limits that would make Spain one of the toughest countries in Europe when it comes to drinking and driving.
Right now, the legal limit is 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood, or 0.25 milligrams per litre of breath. But the DGT is pushing to slash those numbers nearly in half, to just 0.2 and 0.1, respectively. This will make it almost impossible to legally drive after even one drink.
So, how long does alcohol actually stay in your system? There are plenty of myths out there – remember those gems about chugging gallons of water, scoffing lots of bread and taking a cold shower to ‘sober up’ – but none of them work. The truth is, your body can only get rid of alcohol at its own slow pace: about 0.02 grams per hour.
That means it can take up to ten hours for your body to process just one beer.
It gets more complicated depending on factors like your weight, gender, age, metabolism and exactly what you’ve been drinking. For some people, even after a couple of drinks, it might take most of a day before they’re completely sober and safe to drive.
Alcohol starts affecting your body within just five minutes of drinking and hits its peak around an hour later. That’s why it’s especially dangerous to drive shortly after drinking. Not only are you more likely to test positive, but your reaction time, judgment and coordination are all impaired, even if you don’t ‘feel’ drunk.
The bottom line is that if you’re planning to drink, even just a little, the safest bet is to leave the car behind. It’s not just about avoiding a fine or losing your license, but also protecting your life and the lives of everyone else on the road.
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