How long after drinking can you drive?
(Baonghean.vn) - The time from drinking alcohol to getting a negative test result depends on many factors such as the amount and type of alcohol consumed, the health of each person, the alcohol concentration of the drink, the more you drink, the higher the concentration.
According to Master, Doctor Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Head of the Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital), scientifically, regardless of the alcohol concentration level, even low concentration, will more or less affect the nervous system.
With current regulations, drivers of vehicles, whether cars, motorbikes, bicycles, trains, boats, planes... will be fined if they drink alcohol before or while driving. The most positive way to deal with this is to have the mindset of "if you drink alcohol, don't drive".
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| Illustration photo. D.C. |
“The fastest absorption is 20-degree alcohol. In other cases, such as drinking on an empty stomach, alcohol absorption is faster, and when there is food, absorption is slower. If the body drinks continuously, the alcohol will stay in the body longer. In some individual cases, depending on the health of the body, it will also affect the time the alcohol concentration is in the blood. No one is the same.
We have to be careful, because there are people who drink alcohol the night before and the next night still have positive blood and breath. The best way is to limit the number of times we drink alcohol, limit the amount of alcohol we drink. To ensure safety for ourselves and everyone else" - Dr. Nguyen emphasized.
Besides alcohol, many other foods also contain ethanol.
The Poison Control Center also warns that currently fermented foods and some fruits may also contain ethanol. Chocolate, cold syrup, antiseptic solutions, mouthwash tablets, throat sprays... some drinks may also contain a certain amount of ethanol.
“But people can rest assured, the police have a process for initial screening tests, and if necessary, they can do a second test. In some countries, if the initial screening test is positive, they will do step 2.
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| Illustration photo. D.C. |
Master, Doctor Nguyen Dang Duc - Poison Control Center (Bach Mai Hospital) said that alcohol is basically a poison for the body. We have abused alcohol for thousands of years. For young people, alcohol inhibits the nervous system, easily leading to complications due to acute alcohol poisoning, especially hypoglycemia. If you drink a lot, you will have brain damage, such as brain atrophy.
“For young people, we definitely have to stay away, because our whole life is ahead of us, how can we prevent early brain damage, we have to stay away from the path of addiction. The sooner we limit alcohol use, the better,” Dr. Duc emphasized.
What is the blood alcohol concentration to be punished?
Clause 8, Article 8 of the 2008 Road Traffic Law stipulates the following prohibited acts: Driving a car, tractor, or specialized motorbike on the road with a blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeding 50 milligrams/100 milliliters of blood or 0.25 milligrams/1 liter of breath.
Decree 46/2016/ND-CP stipulates administrative penalties for violations in the field of road and railway traffic, such as the penalty level for drivers of cars and motorbikes with alcohol concentration in blood or breath exceeding the limit as follows:
Article 5:Penalties for drivers and passengers of cars and similar vehicles violating road traffic rules.
6. A fine of VND 2,000,000 to VND 3,000,000 shall be imposed on a driver who commits one of the following violations:
a) Driving a vehicle on the road with an alcohol concentration in the blood or breath that does not exceed 50 milligrams/100 milliliters of blood or does not exceed 0.25 milligrams/1 liter of breath;
8. A fine of VND 7,000,000 to VND 8,000,000 shall be imposed on a driver who commits one of the following violations:
b) Driving a vehicle on the road with a blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeding 50 milligrams to 80 milligrams/100 milliliters of blood or exceeding 0.25 milligrams to 0.4 milligrams/1 liter of breath;
9. A fine of VND 16,000,000 to VND 18,000,000 shall be imposed on a driver who commits one of the following violations:
a) Driving a vehicle on the road with a blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams/100 milliliters of blood or exceeding 0.4 milligrams/1 liter of breath;
Article 6:Regulations on penalties for drivers and passengers of motorbikes, mopeds (including electric motorbikes), motorbike-like vehicles and moped-like vehicles violating road traffic rules:
6. A fine of VND 1,000,000 to VND 2,000,000 shall be imposed on a driver whose blood or breath alcohol concentration exceeds 50 milligrams to 80 milligrams/100 milliliters of blood or exceeds 0.25 milligrams to 0.4 milligrams/1 liter of breath.