Drink-drive limit in Scotland
Scotland's drink-drive limit was reduced, by law, on 5 December 2014.
Scotland's drink drive limits
There are strict alcohol limits for drivers, but it's impossible to say exactly how many drinks this equals – it's different for each person. Any alcohol in your body can adversely affect how you drive.
The current limits are:
- 22 mcg of alcohol in 100 ml of breath (the 'breath limit')
- 50 mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood (the 'blood limit')
- 67 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of urine (the 'urine limit')
This means that just one drink could put you over the legal limit for driving.
Drink driving and the law
The Safer Scotland and Road Safety Scotland Don't Risk It website contains more information on drink driving, including:
- the law
- the police commitment to breathalyse drivers for traffic offences
- the effects of the previous evening's drinking of blood alcohol levels
- what happens if you're caught drink driving
How to ensure you do not drink and drive
Visit Drink Awarefor information on avoiding drinking and driving, for example:
- if you're going out with a group of friends, agree who will be the one who does not drink so they can drive everyone home safely
- use public transport (but take taxi numbers in case you miss the last bus or train)
- if you have to drive, stick to zero alcohol beers, mocktails or soft drinks
Getting home safely
If you decide to go for a drink when you have your car it's easy to be tempted to drive home afterwards, especially if you've only had a small amount.
However, even a small amount can affect the speed of your reactions and compromise your ability to drive. The safest thing to do is find an alternative way to get home.
