What are drink-drive limits and breathalyser rules in France?

Drink driving is heavily restricted in France, and despite the country's reputation as permissive of alcohol use, the rules are stricter than in parts of the UK. Here is what you need to know.

In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the legal limit is 80mg of alcohol for every 100ml of blood, equalling 0.08% blood alcohol content (BAC).

In France, however, the limit is 50mg for every 100ml of blood (0.05% BAC), the same as in Scotland. 

For those who have held a licence for less than three years this drops to 0.02%. 

Attempts to estimate whether you are under the legal limit via rules of thumb (a certain number of drinks per hour, for example) should not be followed as these may not always be correct and alcohol passes through each person differently.

Using a breathalyser to check your alcohol level before getting behind the wheel of a car is thus advisable.

However, ensure you get one that conforms to French standards, as French breathalysers convert breath alcohol levels into BAC levels differently than those used in the UK. 

Are roadside checks more common in France? 

France has backtracked over a law that was set to require all drivers to carry a breathalyser in their vehicle. 

This is no longer the case except for those with drink-driving convictions who need to pass an in-vehicle breathalyser test to drive.

Read more: Do you need a breathalyser in your French vehicle?

However, unlike in the UK where police can only ask a driver to do a breathalyser test in the case of an accident, traffic law violation or if suspected of drinking, police in France can carry out random breathalyser checks. 

It means a motorist in France is on average 20 times more likely to be stopped for a breathalyser check than in the UK. 

You can read more about how BAC levels are measured in our article below. 

Read more: Motorists 20 times more likely to be breathalysed in France than in UK