0.0, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.1 — four numbers, four meanings
Several blood alcohol limits circulate around drink-driving, and many people mix them up. Most know about 0.5 per mille, but what about 0.3, 1.1 or the 0.0 limit? Each of these numbers has its own legal meaning and its own consequences. This article sorts them out — and the <a href="/en/blood-alcohol-calculator">blood alcohol calculator</a> helps you estimate roughly where your level might sit after a few drinks.
0.5 per mille: the familiar administrative limit
The best-known limit is 0.5 per mille. Anyone driving a motor vehicle with 0.5 per mille or more — or 0.25 milligrams of alcohol per litre of breath — commits an administrative offence under Section 24a of the Road Traffic Act (StVG). The consequences are a substantial fine, points in the driver fitness register and a driving ban. Even a first offence can mean a 500 euro fine, two points and a one-month ban; on repetition the sanctions rise sharply. The exact provision can be found at gesetze-im-internet.de/stvg/__24a.html.
0.3 per mille: relative unfitness to drive
Many believe that below 0.5 per mille they are legally in the clear. That is not true. From as little as 0.3 per mille a criminal offence may already exist — so-called relative unfitness to drive under Sections 316 and 315c of the Criminal Code (StGB). The decisive point is that signs of alcohol-related impairment must be present: swerving, conspicuous driving, an accident or clear lapses in reaction.
If such signs come together, the administrative offence becomes a crime carrying a fine or prison sentence, loss of the driving licence and a bar on being re-issued one. So anyone who thinks they may simply drive at 0.4 per mille is mistaken: a single driving error can trigger criminal consequences. The provisions can be read at gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__316.html and gesetze-im-internet.de/stgb/__315c.html.
1.1 per mille: absolute unfitness to drive
From 1.1 per mille a person is irrefutably deemed absolutely unfit to drive. No additional signs of impairment are needed here — the value alone is enough for an offence under Section 316 StGB. The courts assume that above this concentration no one can safely operate a vehicle. The consequences are serious: a fine or prison sentence, loss of the driving licence and a bar of several months. For cyclists, incidentally, the threshold for absolute unfitness is higher, at 1.6 per mille.
0.0 per mille: probation and young drivers
For two groups a strict zero applies: novice drivers in the probation period and all drivers under 21 must have no alcohol in their blood at all. This 0.0 per mille rule is set out in Section 24c StVG (gesetze-im-internet.de/stvg/__24c.html). Breaches are punished with a fine, one point, an extension of the probation period and the order to attend a training seminar. With this the legislator aims to reduce the especially high accident risk of young and inexperienced drivers.
An overview of the limits
In summary: 0.0 per mille for novice and under-21 drivers, 0.3 per mille as the threshold for relative unfitness to drive when signs of impairment are present, 0.5 per mille as the administrative limit and 1.1 per mille as absolute unfitness to drive. It is important that these limits interlock — the lowest applicable limit decides whether and how you make yourself liable.
How the calculator helps
The <a href="/en/blood-alcohol-calculator">blood alcohol calculator</a> estimates, using the Widmark formula, roughly how high your blood alcohol level might be after certain drinks, and shows when it mathematically falls back below 0.5 and 0.3 per mille. This gives you a feel for how long alcohol lingers in the body. What remains crucial: the result is only an estimate with considerable uncertainty. It makes no statement about your fitness to drive and does not replace an official test.
Conclusion
The four limits of 0.0, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.1 per mille mark very different legal thresholds — from the strict zero during probation, through the administrative offence, to absolute unfitness to drive. Knowing them helps you understand why even small amounts of alcohol behind the wheel can become expensive and criminal. By far the safest rule of thumb still holds: if you drive, you do not drink. When in doubt, leave the car where it is.