How long do you have to wait to drive after drinking?
Alcohol is increasingly present in fatal traffic accidents in Spain, according to data from the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT): between 2018 and 2022, road fatalities in which at least one driver tested positive increased by 38%, to 312. Therefore, the regulatory body intends to change the regulations on the permitted alcohol level to be able to get behind the wheel, which are much stricter than the current ones.
The current limit is 0.5 grams of alcohol in the blood and 0.25 milligrams in the air, while the DGT (Directorate General of Traffic) aims to lower it to 0.2 and 0.1, respectively, making it practically impossible to drink and drive. With this radical reduction in the limit, many Spanish drivers are wondering how long they must wait before alcoholic beverages no longer have an effect on their body and they can drive. Although there are many myths about this, the reality is that many hours must pass before they fail a positive test in a Civil Guard check.
Alcohol begins to take effect just five minutes after drinking, and reaches its peak effect on the body around 60-90 minutes later. Therefore, it is not at all advisable to drink alcohol immediately after consuming a cocktail, a vermouth , or several beers, as this is when they can have the greatest effect on the driver when getting behind the wheel; not only because of the risk of testing positive, but also for road safety , both for themselves and for other road users.
But when does that effect wear off? The reality is that there are many stories and myths about how long it takes to return to a state of sobriety, as well as countless (useless) tricks to get there faster. The truth is that once you stop drinking, the rate at which a person typically eliminates alcohol is 0.02 grams per hour, what a beer in a man 'disappears' in about ten hours.
Obviously, the effect of alcohol on each driver depends on many factors, such as whether the driver is male or female, age , and, of course, the amount and type of drink consumed. Even so, for everything to be eliminated from the system, you may have to wait up to a full day to ensure a 0.0 on the Civil Guard breathalyzer.
20minutos
