Public prosecutors in two Flemish provinces are lowering the blood alcohol level required to revoke a driving license: “Driving under the influence is still a significant cause of accidents”
The public prosecution services in Antwerp and Limburg provinces are lower the blood alcohol levels (BAL) that can lead to the suspension of a driver’s license. Normally in Belgium, a BAL of 0.115% will get your license revoked. The two provinces are lowering that to 0.08% BAL.
That lower BAL is already in effect for people who have had a driving license for two years or less. The provinces are now extending that level to all drivers.
“When people drink, reaction times and driving skills in general are affected,” says Limburg prosecutor Frank Bleyen. “This has a direct effect on the risk of accidents. Recent files and statistics show that alcohol still too often plays a role in serious and deadly traffic accidents.”
We want to see an evolution like we did with the smoking ban in restaurants
Limburg prosecutor
The Leuven public prosecutor’s office also enforces this tougher regulation during the summer and winter BOB campaigns – but not at other times, when 0.115% still remains the norm.
Limburg’s prosecutors want to create a shift in thinking about driving after drinking. “We want to see an evolution like we did with the smoking ban in restaurants – what seemed normal before is unthinkable today. We want to instil this same change in cultural norms to alcohol in traffic.”