Proposal is to reduce level from 0.5 grams per litre to 0.2
Portugal is to debate, in a public consultation, whether to reduce amount of alcohol allowed in drivers’ blood before it is an offence for them to be behind the wheel.
Considering traffic campaigns are forever listing the number of drivers found driving over the legal alcohol limit, it is certain to be a move that would result in even more revenue, in terms of fines, for the state.
But would it make any difference to drivers taking to the road after they have had a drink, or two?
This will be the question when the issue comes up for consultation, as part of the National Road Safety Strategy.
According to reports, the measure has already been implemented in other European countries.
The Association of Self-Mobilised Citizens says it believes the change would be a step in the right direction.
“I think it’s reasonable for us to accept that we need to combat drink driving and so reducing the blood alcohol level to 0.2 for everyone makes perfect sense,”’ president Manuel João Ramos tells SIC.
But the association believes that any change in the legal blood alcohol content “needs to be accompanied by an understanding of what the phenomenon of youth alcoholism is”. This understanding, along with measures to combat excessive drinking among young people and adults, is what has always been lacking – so it’s not just alcohol at the wheel that is the problem, but society’s perception of what it means to drink and drive.
In Nordic countries, for example, the culture is much more focused on zero tolerance. If you drink, you do not drive, full stop.
For the time being, the legal blood alcohol limit in Portugal is 0.5 gm/l for most drivers and 0.2 gm/ l for professional drivers and those with a provisional driving licence
In spite of this, data from the National Road Safety Authority shows that alcohol is one of the main causes of accidents on the country’s roads. ND
