How to calculate blood alcohol level before driving: portable alcohol test, methods

New Year’s Eve is now upon us, and with it the traditional dinner. After the toast to the new year, however, it is good to make sure you are in compliance with the blood alcohol limits provided for by the Highway Code, first and foremost for your own safetybut also to avoid ushering in 2025 with a heavy fine and a driving license suspension. So here’s how measure your blood alcohol level before driving portable alcohol testshow calculate it on a theoretical level, the limits imposed by the Highway Code and the sanctions provided for in case of exceeding them.

Portable breathalyzer

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A first method to check, indicatively, whether you are in compliance with the limits relating to the blood alcohol level set by the Highway Code is to use portable equipment for detection. There are “portable alcohol tests” on the market offered at varying prices from 35 to 100 eurosbased on the accuracy of the analyses. These are naturally products that have no value legaland which therefore cannot be used as counter-evidence in the event of a dispute by the police, but which return a indicative valuein the case of the most accurate instruments, with a margin of error of 10%.

Disposable breathalyzer

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A cheaper alternative is disposable breathalyzers. Can be purchased at a price of approx 20 euros for 8 doses, they are a practical solution especially for those who use alcohol only on the occasion of a few events, and therefore do not intend to shell out much larger sums for more durable equipment. These disposable alcohol test they include a vial to blow into, which detects any exceeding of the minimum blood alcohol limit set by the Highway Code. There are also devices created specifically for i new driverstherefore calibrated to detect or not a zero blood alcohol level, as required by law for beginners in driving.

Breathalyzers in public places

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By law, every public place where alcohol is served and which continues its activity after midnight must be equipped with a blood alcohol level detection device. The main models positioned outside venues such as restaurants and nightclubs provide a test at a price usually equal to one euro.

The calculations

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The tables provided by the Ministry of Health show indicative methods for estimating one’s blood alcohol level based on the alcohol consumed, useful for regulating oneself at the table and avoiding exceeding it. For example, 330 cc of beer 5 degrees taken on a full stomach results in a blood alcohol level of 75 kg for an adult man weighing 0.15and for an adult woman of the same weight a rate of 0.22. A portion from 125 cc of wine 12 degrees, always taken on a full stomach, results in a blood alcohol level of 75 kg for a man weighing 75 kg. 0.14and for a woman of the same weight a rate of 0.18. A portion from 50 cc of a spirit from 45 degrees, also in this case on a full stomach, for a 75 kg man leads to a blood alcohol level of 0.16and for a woman of the same weight a rate of 0.21. In case of drinking multiple portions of alcoholic beverages, the Ministry indicates that the blood alcohol level values ​​go added together. To consult the complete table from the Ministry of Health, consult this link.

Fines

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With the new Highway Code, the maximum blood alcohol level has remained unchanged, i.e. equal to 0.5 grams of alcohol per liter of blood. Limit which in the case of new drivers is equal to 0.0 grams/litre, for the first ones 3 years from obtaining the license. However, the amounts of the fines are increasing, to which are added more severe additional sanctions. If you are caught driving with a blood alcohol level between 0.5 and 0.8a fine of between 532 and 2,127 euros will be imposed, to which is added the suspension of the driving license from 3 to 6 months and the loss of 10 points. Driving with a BAC above 0.8 constitutes a crime: for this reason, in addition to the financial fine and the suspension of the driving licence, arrest is added. Specifically, if a BAC level is detected between 0.8 and 1.5you will incur a fine of 800 to 3,200 euros, to which is added arrest of up to 6 months, suspension of your driving license from 6 months to a year and the loss of 10 points. The amount increases by a third if the crime is committed at night, between 10pm and 7am. However, if a blood alcohol level is detected greater than 1.5the fine ranges from 1,500 to 6,000 euros, to which is added arrest from 6 months to one year, suspension of the driving license from one to two years and confiscation of the vehicle, and in the event of recidivism within two years, the driving license is revoked. The amount of sanctions doubles in case of accidenta circumstance which also includes the administrative detention of the vehicle for 180 days and, in the case of a blood alcohol level above the threshold of 1.5, the revocation of the driving licence.