Alcohol and medicines: what is the legal limit?
Learn the CBR rules on alcohol and medicines: limits, checks, driving bans, licence suspension and common exam traps.
For the CBR, you mainly need to know this: driving under the influence of alcohol is strictly prohibited, and new drivers have a lower alcohol limit than experienced drivers.
You also need to know the difference between a driving license suspended, a driving license suspended and the mandatory courses LEMA and EMG.
Core rule: a new driver may have a maximum of 0.2 promille alcohol in their blood, an experienced driver a maximum of 0.5 promille. Your body takes about 1.5 hours to process one standard glass, and you cannot speed that up.
Why alcohol in traffic is punished strictly
With alcohol in your blood, your ability to react decreases. As a result, you can easily cause a serious accident, with possibly fatal consequences for yourself and for others. That is why the government has strict rules for alcohol in traffic.
How much may you drink?
| Driver | When | Maximum | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| New driver | Not yet 5 years with your driving licence | 0.2 promille | 1 glass of alcohol |
| Experienced driver | More than 5 years with your driving licence | 0.5 promille | 2.5 glasses of alcohol |
Which drink you drink doesn’t matter: standard glasses are adjusted per type of drink to the alcohol percentage. A glass of gin therefore contains the same amount of alcohol as a glass of beer, even though the percentage is higher. A large glass of spirits is not a standard glass; the comparison does not apply there.
Breakdown of alcohol
Your body takes about 1.5 hours to break down one standard glass. After that, the effects are not gone yet: breaking it down costs energy and makes you tired. Alcohol can therefore still affect your driving behaviour after it has been broken down.
Drinking coffee or water does not speed up the breakdown. Your body cannot speed up the breakdown of alcohol, no matter how much you might want to.
Driving license suspended, driving license suspended, LEMA and EMG
Driving license suspended
If you are caught with too much alcohol in your blood, the police can impose a driving license suspended for a maximum of 24 hours. While it lasts, you may not drive any vehicle: no car, but also no bicycle, e-bike, brommobiel, lorry or skelter.
Driving license suspended
After a serious offence, a driving license suspended may follow: your driving licence is taken in and you may not drive for a certain period, even not during driving lessons. Then you may only drive a bicycle, because you don’t need a driving licence for that. A bicycle with electric pedal assistance falls under the same rules as a normal bicycle, so it may also be driven.
If you refuse a breath test or saliva test during a check, you also get a fine and a driving license suspended (part 8).
LEMA and EMG
If you behave badly in traffic, you can be required to take a course. Both courses are intended to make you aware of the dangers of your behaviour and to change that behaviour.
| Course | For whom | If you do not follow the course |
|---|---|---|
| LEMA (Light Educational Measure Alcohol and Traffic) | Drivers who drove under the influence of alcohol, new and experienced. Comes on top of the driving license suspended and the fine. | The CBR can declare your driving licence invalid. |
| EMG (Educational Measure Behaviour and Traffic) | Drivers with dangerous driving behaviour, even if they are sober: reckless driving, driving too fast, tailgating, aggressive behaviour. | Your driving licence can be declared invalid; then you have to take the exam again. |
Example situations
Situation 1
You have had your driving licence for 3 years and you drink two glasses of beer at a party. May you drive home?
No. You are still a new driver: maximum 0.2 promille, about one standard glass. Two glasses is too much, and a cup of coffee changes nothing.
Situation 2
You get a driving license suspended for 24 hours and think: then I’ll take the bicycle.
That’s not allowed. During a driving license suspended, you may not drive any vehicle, not even a bicycle. With a driving license suspended, cycling is actually allowed. That is the difference between the two.