From March 1, 2024, China has tightened the legal threshold for drunk driving and introduced a new testing standard "Test for Ethanol, Methanol, N-Propanol, Acetone, Isopropanol and N-Butanol in Blood and Urine" (GB T 42430-2023). This update not only improves the accuracy of drunk driving detection, but also expands its application scope to cover a variety of alcohols and acetone poisoning, forensic identification, medical emergency and scientific research.
According to the new regulations, the upper limit of blood ethanol levels for drunk driving has been significantly reduced from the previous 50mg 100ml to 20mg 100ml. This means that once a driver's blood ethanol level exceeds 20mg 100ml, it can be considered an offence. A person with a blood ethanol level of 80mg or more than 100ml is classified as drunk driving.
The new standard also updates the conversion ratio between blood ethanol content and expiratory ethanol content from 2100 to 2300, a change based on the latest scientific research and data to better adapt to the physiological and metabolic characteristics of Chinese.
In terms of legal consequences, drivers who drive under the influence of alcohol will face a six-month suspension of their driver's license and a fine of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan. For drivers who drive intoxicated, in addition to being forced to sober up by the traffic police department, they will also face driver's license revocation and criminal liability, and they will not be allowed to reapply for a driver's license for five years. If it involves driving a commercial vehicle while intoxicated, the applicant shall not be allowed to reapply for a driving licence for 10 years.
These stricter regulations demonstrate China's commitment to cracking down on drunk driving, with the aim of improving public transport safety and reducing traffic accidents caused by drunk driving.