Road safety: towards a reduction in the alcohol level for young people ?

A confidential report submitted to the Ministry of the Interior at the end of July proposes to lower the legal limit of alcohol in the blood from 0.5 to 0.2 g for young permits, in order to reduce road accidents. This 319-page document, intercepted by Le Parisien, insists in particular on the significant impact of alcohol on the reactions of drivers …

A confidential report submitted to the Ministry of the Interior at the end of July proposes to lower the legal limit of alcohol in the blood from 0.5 to 0.2 g for young permits, in order to reduce road accidents. This 319-page document, intercepted by, insists in particular on the significant impact of alcohol on the reactions of novice drivers. 

"Considering the inexperience of novice drivers, their accident rate and the impact on reaction times of even light alcohol consumption, the reduction in blood alcohol level allowed for novice drivers makes sense" , underlines this report whose existence was formalized by the Ministry of the Interior which evokes a "track of work".

Lucid, the authors of the report recognize that this reduction in the legal alcohol level "would probably be badly perceived by novice drivers who would see it as a restriction of their freedom", but nevertheless consider that it is to be considered to withdraw the totality of the points of the license of the drivers "of less than one year" (that is to say 6 points!) in the event of alcohol level between "between 0.2 and 0.5 g / l".

A drink, hello the damage !

Remember that each glass of alcohol consumed (25 cl beer, 12.5 cl flask of wine or 3 cl whiskey) increases the alcohol level from 0.20 to 0.25 g / l on average, or even 0.30 g / l depending on the state of health, the degree of fatigue and the build of the person. 

This implies that if this measure is put in place (as in other countries of the European Union such as Luxembourg, Ireland or Portugal), a driver with less than two years of experience will potentially be in violation. after consuming just one glass. 

With the key a possible withdrawal of license for the most novices! One wonders if it would not be easier to simply adopt "zero tolerance" for young people allowed, a radical position taken by seven European countries including Germany, Switzerland or Italy.

Following the publication of this proposal, several associations of road users have stepped up to the plate by denouncing a stigmatization of young people, in particular recalling that "80% of alcohol-related accidents are due to rates higher than 1, 2 grams. This measure would therefore have very little effect. We should first enforce the current limit of 0.5 before considering lowering it "…

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