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Argentina Steps Up Alcohol-Zero Road Checks After Extreme Balcarce Case

Rules vary by province with alcohol zero compulsory on national roads.

Overview

  • Argentina’s national standard sets a 0.0 g/L limit, now adopted by 18 provinces, while jurisdictions such as Buenos Aires City, parts of Santa Fe, Mendoza, Misiones, Corrientes and San Juan still permit up to 0.5 g/L for private drivers.
  • The ANSV and partnering agencies have intensified documentation and breathalyzer controls for the Christmas–New Year travel period on highways, national routes and tourist access points.
  • In Balcarce on RN 226 at km 64.5, a driver stopped after reported dangerous maneuvers blew beyond the device’s measurement range, leading to an infraction, vehicle retention, assignment of an alternate driver and judicial processing.
  • According to the national Transport Secretariat, a positive test typically brings a fine of about ARS 1,750,000, license retention, a driving ban on the spot and, in many cases, a mandatory course to recover the physical license.
  • Buenos Aires City reported 5,394 breath tests this year with a 0.47% positive rate, 4,300 licenses retained year-to-date and 30 positives detected on Christmas night, including one driver at 1.74 g/L.