In the Netherlands you can still drive if you have 0.5 per mille alcohol in your blood (0.2 per mille for novice drivers). But the European Parliament wants this to end and is now calling for a zero tolerance policy. It has submitted a bill in which the alcohol limit will be lowered to 0 per mille.
Last year, 610 people died in traffic in the Netherlands, including 229 cyclists, 195 motorists, 44 motorcyclists and 41 pedestrians. It is not known exactly what percentage of the fatal accidents alcohol played a role in. A survey from a few years ago came to a percentage of 13 percent. About 66 percent of those cases are caused by a relatively small group of serious alcohol offenders.
Some European countries already have a zero alcohol limit
The European Union is striving for a highway system where there are no more fatalities or serious injuries. And to achieve that goal, European Member States must, among other things, take stricter action against alcohol in traffic, according to the European Parliament. In a few countries there is already a limit of 0 per mille, such as in Hungary and the Czech Republic. The European Parliament wants this zero limit to apply to all countries in the near future.
In the Netherlands there is an alcohol limit of 0.5 per mille
In the Netherlands it is allowed to get in the car with a little alcohol. For novice drivers, a limit of 0.2 per mille applies. For drivers who have had their driving license for five years or longer, 0.5 per mille applies. That corresponds to about two glasses of alcohol. If you are caught with 0.8 per mille or more, you will not only receive a hefty fine, but the CBR can also impose an Educational Measure on Alcohol and Traffic. An expensive, multi-day course, which you have to pay for yourself.