For four months, a PSOE proposal has been published in Congress which aims to reduce the maximum blood alcohol levels and set a single limit of 0.2 grams per liter of blood. This maximum limit is currently 0.5 grams and less than 0.3 for beginners and professional drivers. It received support from Congress twice: in October 2024, when socialists presented it as a bill; and last March, it was a bill. In both cases it was supported by the mayor of the Chamber, with the abstention of the PP and the rejection of Vox.
Despite the approval, the broad social consensus that the measure arouses (72% of Spaniards believe that the risk is high) and the scientific and statistical evidence that the consumption of alcohol, even in small quantities, increases the probability of an accident and increases its severity, continues the text in the corresponding Congressional Commission, pending negotiations between the parties.
All surveys and accident data conclude that alcohol is one of the main risk factors while driving. Despite greater social awareness, public campaigns and increased police stops, the percentage of deceased drivers who tested positive for alcohol increased every few months between 2018 and 2024 — according to data from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences — only one in three can be estimated. The best guarantee would be a rate of 0.0, but its technical difficulties — some foods are cooked with alcohol and that could lead to false positives — lead experts to defend a limit like the one debated in Congress, which in practice assumes zero tolerance. This is what exists in countries with advanced road safety policies, such as Sweden and Norway, where it is estimated that the number of fatal accidents and that of alcohol consumption have decreased.
As Spain experiences severe polarization, it appears that measures of silence and consensus are being challenged by partisan tactics that can only respond to the disaffection of its citizens. This happened in March with the creation of the National Public Health Agency, rejected by PP and Ensemble for calculations that had nothing to do with the health of the Spaniards and after having approved it by the corresponding commission. This time, parliamentary sources attributed the blockage to the ERC, which seeks to transfer the competence of road controllers to Catalonia, which is perfectly debatable but not to the detriment of a proposal that would improve the safety of our roads and reduce the number of deaths. Education and awareness campaigns on the road remain essential so that society assimilates it as an inexcusable rule which leads to not drinking. But we must also insist on dissuasive measures that produce results. Fomentarlas is an example of good politics.
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