Overview

• Germany enforces a 0.5‰ blood alcohol concentration limit for drivers under penalty of fines and license suspension.
• Without validated breathalyzer measurements, drivers cannot accurately estimate their blood alcohol level and risk unintentionally exceeding the legal threshold.
• Limiting intake to about 0.3 L of beer or 0.2 L of wine before stopping generally keeps drivers below the 0.5‰ limit.
• Alcohol metabolism varies widely based on factors such as gender, genetic predisposition, type of drink and food intake, creating a gray zone of uncertainty.
• Habitual heavy drinkers may appear functional at BACs above 1.8‰ but suffer severely impaired reaction times and perception, posing extreme risks.