The new Highway Code came into force last December 14, 2024 introduced more severe penalties for driving while intoxicated, keeping the legal blood alcohol limits unchanged. This tightening has generated a lot concern among motoristswho now fear that they will no longer be able to drink even a beer for fear of legal and financial consequences resulting from any infringements. The Istituto Superiore di Sanità has created a series of tables to get a rough estimate of which and how many alcoholic drinks cause you to exceed the legal blood alcohol level for driving while intoxicated (equal to 0.5 grams per liter), taking into account the fact that your blood alcohol level depends on your weight, gender and whether you have an empty or full stomach.
In the tables below, which can be found in pdf in the link given among the sources at the bottom of the article, you can observe the values on both an empty and full stomach for both sexes, based on body weight. Each level, referring to an intake within the previous 60-100 minutes, is to be considered theoretical (therefore indicative) following the intake of one or more drinks among those indicated.
Disclaimer: We remind you that the values reported in the Istituto Superiore di Sanità table remain indicativeand that regardless of anything else it is always appropriate drink in moderation.
How to understand how much alcohol to drink so as not to exceed the limit: the blood alcohol level tables
Here are the tables published by the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, referring to alcohol intake in Previous 60-100 minutesto be compared with the limits – and sanctions – established by the new Highway Code:
- 0.5 – 0.8 g/l: fine from €573 to €2,170 and license suspension from 3 to 6 months.
- 0.8 – 1.5 g/l: fine from €800 to €3,200, arrest for up to 6 months and suspension of driving license from 6 months to 1 year.
- Greater than 1.5 g/l: fine from €1,500 to €6,000, arrest from 6 months to 1 year and suspension of driving license from 1 to 2 years.
Some practical examples
To understand how to read the tables, let’s now look at some examples. Suppose that una woman weighing 45 kg drank a light beer (33 cl) and an alcoholic aperitif on an empty stomach. If we look at the data in the table, the expected blood alcohol level is 0.39+0.49= 0.88 grams per liter, therefore higher than the permitted limit.
A woman who weighed instead 60kg and who had consumed 2 4cl spirits (60°) on a full stomach would have an expected blood alcohol level of 0.35+0.35=0.70 grams per litre.
A 75 kg man who had drunk 2 special beers on an empty stomach would have an expected blood alcohol level of 0.41 + 0.41 = 0.82 grams per litre.
A 55 kg man of weight who instead drank a double malt beer and a medium strength spirit (45°) on an empty stomach has an expected blood alcohol level of 0.71+0.36=1.07 grams/litre.
