The Spanish government is renewing its effort to lower the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers. The Interior Ministry aims to secure approval in Congress before the current legislative term ends. Led by Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the proposal would cut the general maximum from 0.5 to 0.2 grams of alcohol per litre of blood. The current general limit for exhaled air is 0.25 milligrams per litre, with lower limits applying to novice and professional drivers. The measure is intended to reduce road accidents and fatalities, a priority for the ministry and the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT).
Despite the urgency, the measure has met strong opposition in Parliament. The Socialist Group first introduced the proposal in September 2024, but the Interior Committee rejected it on March 18, with PP, Vox, ERC and UPN voting against. Critics cited procedural issues and argued the change was disproportionate or motivated by revenue concerns. ERC demanded improvements to Catalonia’s road infrastructure and exam centres as conditions for its support. Grande-Marlaska has repeatedly called for swift action, particularly ahead of summer, when long journeys and local festivals raise the risk of alcohol and drug consumption among drivers.
The DGT is working closely with the Socialists to seek consensus in a politically tense environment. Victims’ associations, including Stop Accidentes, have lobbied lawmakers for reform. Their disappointment after the March vote has sharpened calls for another attempt before the legislature concludes. The proposed 0.2 threshold follows a preventive approach: it does not claim impairment begins only when a driver exceeds the legal limit. The DGT’s road-safety messaging says alcohol affects perception and reaction time. It also disrupts coordination and risk assessment, making its effects incompatible with safe driving.
The agency’s campaign message is blunt: “On the road, alcohol kills.” DGT-reported toxicology data show that 42.1% of 651 drivers killed in crashes and autopsied in 2017 tested positive for alcohol or illicit drugs, with psychoactive medicines also included in the combined measure. That figure is not an alcohol-only fatality rate. The DGT’s published 2017 data provide context for the road-safety debate, but do not by themselves quantify the effect of lowering the legal limit.
Research from the University of Valencia’s Intras Institute indicates that lowering the limit to 0.2 grams could reduce the risk of traffic accidents by three to five times. Since 1950, alcohol-related driving deaths in Spain have claimed around 100,000 lives. A recent study by the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences found that half of all drivers killed in 2025 had consumed alcohol or drugs, with psychotropic substances also included. The typical offender is a man aged 35 to 54, driving a car or motorcycle on a weekday.
Alcohol and drugs are now Spain’s second-leading cause of road accidents, responsible for 28% of incidents. Distractions such as mobile phone use rank first, accounting for 30%. In 2025, police forces across Spain conducted more than nine million breath tests. The Guardia Civil alone performed 135,000 drug tests, 65,000 of which were positive, DGT director Pere Navarro said. The DGT also operates a national helpline (018) for road accident victims, offering support in more than 50 languages daily from 8:00 to 21:00. Victims can also contact the service via WhatsApp* (принадлежит Metа, которая признана экстремистской организацией и запрещена в РФ) or email.
The debate over stricter alcohol limits comes as Spain faces heavier road traffic during holiday periods. During the August holiday weekend, for example, the DGT anticipated 5.6 million journeys and stepped up controls to address accident risks, as detailed in recent coverage of summer travel surges. The push for a lower limit reflects continuing road-safety concerns and the political challenge of building support for measures that could save lives.
Spain’s approach to drink-driving has changed over decades, as limits tightened and enforcement increased. The current debate weighs public health against individual freedoms and political negotiation. The DGT has discussed the European “0.2” approach as part of the wider road-safety policy debate. If the proposal passes, Spain’s rules would move closer to that threshold, reinforcing the country’s stated commitment to reducing preventable deaths on its roads.
