One of the basic principles of road safety is that you should not drink alcohol before driving. However, some people decide otherwise and in the event of an accident or being subject to a police check, it could result in a exclusion of insurance coverage, fines and even the possibility of having to leave the vehicle.
Furthermore, the drunk state of a driver can cause very serious situations such as injuries to other people or damage to your vehicles or belongings
During festive periods it is common for some people to decide to drive their vehicles after having consumed alcohol. This can cause serious road accidents, affecting other people or their property. And in those cases it can result in the insurance company refusing to provide coverage. to the damage caused by the application of the coverage exclusion clause.
This exclusion that the insurer can claim is a debated issue because in many cases the judges have decided that coverage be granted to third parties who suffered the consequences of the road accident caused by the drunk person and then that it is the company itself that claim reimbursement from the insured driver.
On the other hand, it must be taken into account that there are also vehicle and driver controls to then apply administrative sanctions to cases in which the laws are not followed. It is important to know that the regulations in this regard It is not unanimous throughout the country.
The breathalyzer tests are carried out randomly and seek for drivers to demonstrate that they did not consume prohibited substances while driving.
In the specific case of alcohol, it is generally done by asking the driver to blow into a device to determine whether he or she has consumed it or not. If the result is positive, the level should be known. It must be taken into account that the sanctions that will be applied will depend on the jurisdiction. There are more and more areas of the country where the permitted level is zero (0) grams per liter of blood (g/l), as is the case of the Province of Buenos Aires.
But there are jurisdictions such as the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires in which the 0 g/l blood alcohol level is required only for beginner drivers and professionals. In the case of motorcyclists, the maximum blood alcohol limit is 0.20 g/l and 0.50 g/l for private drivers.
The sanctions will also depend on the jurisdiction and the seriousness of the case but, in general terms, they range from monetary fines and vehicle retention until disqualification from driving again.
The conclusion is that whoever sits behind the wheel should not consume alcohol, either to avoid harm to others or due to the consequences themselves, which could be an exclusion of coverage from their insurance company or to avoid having to pay heavy traffic fines, have a disqualification from driving or even being liable to arrest.
It is made clear that the specific case must always be evaluated and this note does not imply advice on the specific situation but rather general guidelines.