Drink Driving Limits Around the World
Drink driving limits around the world differ by jurisdiction, licence category and whether alcohol is measured in blood, breath or urine. A legal threshold is not a safety threshold: the World Health Organization says crash risk starts at low blood alcohol concentrations, and the only safe amount before driving is none.[14]
How to read drink driving limits around the world
Blood alcohol concentration, usually shortened to BAC, is not expressed in the same units everywhere. The sources below use milligrammes per 100 ml, grammes per decilitre and milligrammes per millilitre; breath limits use separate measurements. Keep the specimen and unit attached to every figure when comparing rules.[1][7][8][12]
A number without its context can mislead. Ireland distinguishes most drivers from specified categories, New South Wales distinguishes full licence holders from learners and provisional drivers, and Canada's federal criminal threshold does not describe every provincial administrative sanction.[6][10][11][13]
This guide covers selected jurisdictions, not every country. Its tables retain the units used by the cited authorities and distinguish legislation from official summaries and recommendations. The limits and guidance below were checked against the site's verified source record in November 2026.
Do not turn these figures into a whisky allowance. GOV.UK says it is impossible to say exactly how many drinks equal the limit because the result depends on factors including weight, age, sex, metabolism, drink type, food and stress.[3]
The United Kingdom: Scotland has different limits
Scotland's prescribed limits are lower than those in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. GOV.UK presents the distinction across all three measurements, so a statement that “the UK limit” is one figure misses an essential part of the rule.[2][3]
UK prescribed limits, checked November 2026. Blood and urine figures are milligrammes per 100 ml; breath figures are microgrammes per 100 ml.[1][2][3]
| Jurisdiction | Blood | Breath | Urine | Legal source or official guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | 80 | 35 | 107 | Road Traffic Act 1988, section 11 [1] |
| Northern Ireland | 80 | 35 | 107 | GOV.UK jurisdiction summary [3] |
| Scotland | 50 | 22 | 67 | SSI 2014/328 [2] |
The Road Traffic Act 1988, section 11, provides for Scottish Ministers to change the prescribed limit for Scotland. The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Prescribed Limit) (Scotland) Regulations 2014, SSI 2014/328, were made on 20 November 2014 and came into force on 5 December 2014.[1][2]
The distinction concerns the limit, not the geographical reach of a driving ban. GOV.UK states that someone banned by any UK court for drink driving cannot drive anywhere in the UK.[3]
For readers travelling between Scotland and another UK jurisdiction, the practical point is to check the jurisdiction rather than rely on a familiar number. Neither set of prescribed limits should be read as permission to drink before driving.[2][3][14]
Ireland: lower limits for specified drivers
Ireland's Road Traffic Act 2010, section 4, sets different alcohol concentration thresholds for most drivers and for “specified persons”. Section 3 includes learner permit holders, drivers in their first two years on a first licence, drivers of category C, D and related vehicles, and small public service vehicle drivers while working.[6]
Irish statutory thresholds, checked November 2026. Blood and urine figures are milligrammes per 100 ml; breath figures are microgrammes per 100 ml.[6]
| Driver category | Blood | Breath | Urine | Legal source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Most drivers | 50 | 22 | 67 | Road Traffic Act 2010, section 4 [6] |
| Specified persons | 20 | 9 | 27 | Road Traffic Act 2010, sections 3 and 4 [6] |
The Act's wording covers alcohol concentration within three hours after driving. That time provision belongs with the figures: reducing the rule to a blood alcohol number alone leaves out part of what the legislation says.[6]
Check the driver category as carefully as the destination. Under this Act, the lower threshold is not confined to learner drivers, and a passenger-carrying or vehicle category can matter alongside licence experience.[6]
The European Union: a recommendation is not one binding limit
Commission Recommendation 2001/115/EC, dated 17 January 2001, recommends that Member States adopt a maximum BAC of 0.5 mg/ml or lower for drivers of motorised vehicles. It recommends 0.2 mg/ml or lower for inexperienced drivers, two-wheeler riders, large vehicle drivers and dangerous goods drivers.[7]
This is a recommendation addressed to Member States, not a single binding drink driving limit covering every EU country. It is therefore not a substitute for the applicable national law.[7]
Its value in a comparison is to show the policy distinction between a general threshold and lower thresholds for particular drivers. It should not be used to fill gaps in a country table or to assume that every Member State adopted identical rules.[7]
The United States: Utah is the exception to the general figure
The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, states that driving at a BAC of 0.08 g/dL or higher is illegal across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, except Utah, where the threshold is 0.05 g/dL.[8]
NHTSA's evaluation describes Utah's 0.05 g/dL rule for drivers aged 21 and over in noncommercial vehicles. Utah's House Bill 155, signed on 23 March 2017, amended Utah Code 41-6a-502; the limit took effect on 30 December 2018. This scope is not a complete account of rules for every driver or vehicle category.[9]
US overview from NHTSA, checked November 2026. These are blood alcohol figures, not breath measurements.[8][9]
| Jurisdiction | Driver scope described | BAC threshold | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| States other than Utah, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico | General threshold in NHTSA's summary | 0.08 g/dL | NHTSA [8] |
| Utah | Drivers aged 21 and over in noncommercial vehicles | 0.05 g/dL | NHTSA evaluation [9] |
The recurring claim that every US state uses 0.08 is therefore wrong. Use NHTSA's national summary as an overview, while keeping Utah's exception and the driver scope visible.[8][9]
Canada: criminal law and provincial sanctions are different
Canada's Criminal Code, section 320.14(1)(b), makes it an offence to have a BAC equal to or exceeding 80 mg per 100 ml of blood within two hours of operating a conveyance. Both the threshold and the two-hour wording form part of the federal provision.[10]
That does not make 80 mg a complete description of every Canadian consequence. NHTSA records that British Columbia introduced a three-day administrative licence suspension in 2010 for BACs from 0.05 to 0.08 g/dL.[11]
Verdict: Disputed
Claim: The figure described as Canada's drink driving limit depends on whether federal criminal law or provincial administrative sanctions are being discussed.
What the record shows: The federal criminal threshold is 80 mg per 100 ml of blood. NHTSA records a British Columbia administrative suspension introduced in 2010 for BACs from 0.05 to 0.08 g/dL.[10][11]
Evidence against or gap: The figures describe different legal consequences. The British Columbia account does not establish every province's current rules.
Earliest known source: Not established from the supplied record.
Sources: Federal provision: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-320.14.html. British Columbia measure: https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/alcohol-impaired-driving/countermeasures/legislation-and-licensing-7.
Last checked: The exact day is not documented; confirm it before publication.
The British Columbia example is a dated account of a provincial measure, not a current province-by-province table. It explains why checking only the federal criminal threshold is insufficient.[10][11]
Japan: pay attention to the breath measurement
Japan's National Police Agency describes breath alcohol of 0.15 mg/l or more as “driving under the influence of alcohol”. This is a breath concentration, so it should not be read as a blood alcohol figure.[12]
The agency lists 13 penalty points and a 90-day suspension for breath alcohol from 0.15 to under 0.25 mg/l. At 0.25 mg/l or more, it lists 25 points and licence revocation with a two-year disqualification.[12]
Its guidance also says penalties apply to people supplying the vehicle or alcohol and to passengers. The agency's account therefore extends beyond consequences for the person driving; do not assume the driver is the only person covered.[12]
Australia: New South Wales distinguishes licence categories
New South Wales sets a zero BAC limit for learner drivers and provisional P1 and P2 drivers. Its government guidance gives a limit of under 0.05 for full licence holders and under 0.02 for public passenger, heavy and dangerous goods vehicles.[13]
Those are New South Wales rules, not a verified statement of every Australian state's position. The wording “under” also matters: the full licence rule is under 0.05, not permission to reach that figure.[13]
For a learner or provisional driver in New South Wales, the zero limit is the relevant rule. Quoting only the full licence threshold would leave out the distinction that matters most to that driver.[13]
Below the limit does not mean risk free
WHO's road traffic injuries fact sheet, dated 20 July 2026, says crash risk starts at low BAC levels and increases significantly at 0.04 g/dl and above. That finding concerns risk, not the legal threshold chosen by a particular jurisdiction.[14]
NHTSA similarly reports that drivers at a BAC of 0.08 g/dL are about four times more likely to crash than drivers at zero. These are reasons not to treat a statutory number as a target or a guarantee of safe driving.[8]
Keep drinking guidelines separate from driving law, too. The guide to alcohol units and drinking guidelines addresses a different question; it is not a way to calculate permission to drive. For driving, the safe decision remains no alcohol.
Where to go next
- Alcohol Units and Drinking Guidelines Around the World: understand national drinking guidance separately from driving thresholds.
- Alcohol and Medicines: Interaction Risks: read the evidence and official guidance on interactions.
- Whisky and Health: What the Evidence Says: explore the wider health evidence.
Sources
[1] legislation.gov.uk. Road Traffic Act 1988, section 11, 1988, version recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/11
[2] legislation.gov.uk. The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Prescribed Limit) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014/328), made version, 2014. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ssi/2014/328/made
[3] GOV.UK. The drink drive limit, online guidance, version recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.gov.uk/drink-drive-limit
[6] Irish Statute Book. Road Traffic Act 2010 (Act 25 of 2010), enacted version, 20 July 2010. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2010/act/25/enacted/en/print.html
[7] European Commission, EUR-Lex. Commission Recommendation of 17 January 2001 on the maximum permitted blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers of motorised vehicles (2001/115/EC), 2001. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32001H0115
[8] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drunk Driving, online guidance, version recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/drunk-driving
[9] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Traffic Tech: Evaluation of Utah's .05 BAC Per Se Law, edition supplied in the verified fact sheet, publication year not supplied. https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/60427/dot_60427_DS1.pdf
[10] Justice Laws Website, Government of Canada. Criminal Code, section 320.14, online consolidation, version recorded as checked November 2026. https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-320.14.html
[11] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Countermeasures That Work: Lower BAC Limits, online edition recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.nhtsa.gov/book/countermeasures-that-work/alcohol-impaired-driving/countermeasures/legislation-and-licensing-7
[12] National Police Agency of Japan. Eradication of Drinking and Driving, English-language guidance, edition recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.npa.go.jp/english/bureau/traffic/document/01_EradicationofDrinkingandDriving.pdf
[13] NSW Government. Alcohol limits, drugs and medicines, online guidance, version recorded as checked November 2026. https://www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/driving-nsw/roads-safety-and-rules/safe-driving/alcohol-and-drugs
[14] World Health Organization. Road traffic injuries, fact sheet, 20 July 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries
This desk-researched article was prepared from verified fact sheet TOP-A762 and its claim-to-source mappings, without additional source retrieval.
Last checked: November 2026