Should Latvia introduce a zero alcohol limit for drivers?

Should Latvian drivers be banned from getting behind the wheel after even a small amount of alcohol, with a zero limit introduced? The question was examined on 21 October by the Russian-language service of Latvian public media LSM.

Experts stress that the safest limit is zero. However, the rules currently in force in Latvia allow driving as long as the blood alcohol concentration does not exceed 0.5 per mille.

The Ministry of Transport, which is responsible for road safety policy, has not even assessed the possibility of introducing a zero limit for all drivers. In other words, no concrete discussion of such a step has taken place at the national level so far.

There is therefore a gap between the approach recommended by experts and the practice in Latvia: specialists regard complete abstinence from alcohol before driving as the safest option, while the law still permits a small amount of alcohol in the blood.