On January 1, 2005, the authorized blood alcohol level increased from 0.8 to 0.5 per thousand to strengthen road safety. Since then, motorists have had to learn to closely monitor their consumption. Two decades later, the results are clear.
“Drink or drive, you have to choose”: this well-known slogan became even more anchored in the mentalities of drivers on January 1, 2005. On that date, just twenty years ago, the rate of 0.5 per thousand d Blood alcohol is introduced in Switzerland after long debates.
Lowering the blood alcohol limit to 0.5 per thousand was presented, at the time, as an effective measure to reduce accidents linked to drunk driving. Twenty years later, the figures confirm this prediction: the number of road deaths due to alcohol has fallen from 103 in 2004 to 31 in 2023, a drop of 70%.
To further reduce this number, the cantonal police continue to carry out prevention on the roads. “We step up checks during the holidays because the period is conducive to driving under the influence of alcohol,” explained Corporal Bauwalder, gendarme in Lausanne, on Wednesday in the RTS 7:30 p.m.
-Lorence Milasevic/hkr
Swiss
