Spain’s government is preparing to take a new proposal to Congress that would lower the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers from 0.5 to 0.2 grams per litre. Lawmakers blocked a similar move earlier this year. If the proposal passes, the current limits, 0.25 mg/l in exhaled air for most drivers and 0.15 mg/l for new and professional drivers, would change. Anyone caught with more than 0.60 mg/l faces criminal charges.
Pere Navarro, who leads the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), says the issue goes beyond the numbers. “We should be proud,” Navarro says. He believes Spain is close to ending deaths from drink driving. The new rules would also lower the breath alcohol limit from 0.25 to 0.1 milligrams per litre, making it almost impossible to lead legally after even one drink. The plan is still under debate. If passed, it would set the same limit for all drivers, ending the current distinction between categories.
The previous attempt to lower the alcohol limit was narrowly rejected by a parliamentary committee in March 2026, with 19 votes against and 18 in favour.
Navarro says Spanish habits are already changing, with alcohol-free drinks such as 0,0 beer, tinto de verano and vermut on the rise. The Asociación Española de Cerveceros brought these options directly to the DGT. “The 0.0 beer initiative came from the Asociación Española de Cerveceros, which came to our headquarters and presented this alternative for drivers,” Navarro said in a recent interview. He calls it “a success story.” Last year, sales of regular beer fell by 4 percent, while alcohol-free beer sales rose by the same amount.
Spain is not alone in this push. The World Health Organization recommends a limit of 0.2 grams per litre. Norway and Sweden, both known for strict road-safety measures, already use this standard. Navarro says Spain is following these international guidelines. “The WHO recommends a rate of 0.2 g/l of blood; that is zero tolerance, which is good,” he says. The DGT and the Ministry of the Interior describe the proposal as a road-safety reform, citing international proven methods as a basic reason for the change.
The government is not proposing a true 0.0 limit. Officials say some foods or natural fermentation can produce a positive reading even when a driver has not consumed alcohol. The small margin is intended to avoid penalising people for harmless trace amounts.
Information from DGT statistics, alcohol was present in 28% of fatal road accidents in Spain and was linked to more than 40,000 criminal convictions annually. In the summer of 2026 alone, 240 people died on Spanish roads, a 4% increase on the previous year.
Last year, alcohol was found in 28 percent of fatal road crashes in Spain, and more than 40,000 people were convicted of driving over the legal alcohol limit. Navarro calls the reform the last step in breaking the deadly link between alcohol and driving. “It closes the circle between alcohol and driving. There have been many deaths and much suffering because of alcohol and driving, and we have to consider alternatives.”
Road-safety groups and foundations back the plan. The DGT hopes their support will help move the bill forward in the next vote and is counting on lawmakers to let the proposal proceed. The approach echoes changes elsewhere in Spanish transport, as reported earlier in coverage of electric cars’ impact on the auto industry.
The rise of 0,0 drinks reflects shifting attitudes to risk and responsibility. If the new limits pass, Spain will join other European countries that treat road safety as a shared duty, bringing the country in line with international standards.
