Home Alcohol Residual alcohol and MPU – When can I drive again after the party?

Residual alcohol and MPU – When can I drive again after the party?

-- Table of contents --

1 Caution: Do not underestimate residual alcohol!
2 Alcohol breakdown cannot be accelerated
3 Calculating residual alcohol in a man
4 Calculating residual alcohol in a woman
5 Orientation values
6 Zero alcohol rule remains unaffected

Caution: Do not underestimate residual alcohol!

High blood alcohol levels from the previous evening are far from being eliminated the next morning. A driver's reaction time is further negatively affected by fatigue and a hangover. Effects of alcohol on our behavior, perception and reaction time We have summarized this in detail elsewhere for you. Anyone who drives with residual alcohol in their blood poses a risk to other road users and themselves and risks losing their license. Furthermore, they risk being ordered to undergo a MPU (medical examination).In road traffic law, the blood alcohol limits generally apply the same, regardless of whether the alcohol in question is residual or alcohol just consumed in a bar. The danger and possible penalties remain unchanged.

Alcohol breakdown cannot be accelerated

Depending on their constitution, size and weight, people tolerate alcohol very differently. Miracle cures or alcohol reduction accelerators do not exist. Adequate sleep, a cold shower, a hearty breakfast, coffee, or aspirin also don't help break down alcohol faster. The body needs time to break down alcohol. The average breakdown time is approximately 0,1 per mille per hour (for an 80 kg man).

Calculating residual alcohol in a man

If a man weighing approximately 80 kilograms drinks half a liter of beer and a shot of liquor per hour between 20:00 p.m. and 01:00 a.m., he will end up with an average blood alcohol level of around 1,55 per mille. At 0,8:00 a.m., the man would still have 08 to 1,0 per mille of residual alcohol in his blood. If he were to attract attention with this blood alcohol level, he would receive at least a one-month driving ban, two points on his license, and a fine of 500 euros. If the man were to cause an accident in this condition, he would face the consequences of a more severe penalty, license revocation, and further legal action. MPU due to alcohol The man could only expect a lower blood alcohol level of less than 0,3 per mille at around 14:00 p.m. If driving errors occur or an accident is caused at a blood alcohol level of 0,3 or higher, legally relative inability to drive can be assumed.

Calculating residual alcohol in a woman

Women have a lower alcohol tolerance and alcohol takes longer to metabolize than men. If a woman weighing approximately 55 kilograms drinks three 0,5-liter beers and two shots of liquor between 20:00 p.m. and 01:00 a.m., her blood alcohol level will average 1,7 per mille. The next morning around 07:00 a.m., she would still have between 1,1 and 1,2 per mille of residual alcohol in her blood. It wouldn't be until around 16:00 p.m. that her blood alcohol level would drop to 0,3 per mille, making her fit to drive.

Orientation values

Such sample calculations only provide guidelines that may not apply to everyone, as the human body is not a machine. Alcohol consumption affects each person differently and depends on many factors, such as consumption on an empty stomach, body size, age, gender, and frequency of alcohol consumption.

Zero alcohol rule remains unaffected

The Zero alcohol limit still applies to novice drivers on probation and persons under the age of 21.

Ten years after the introduction of the zero-tolerance limit for alcohol, the BAst (Federal Highway Research Institute) published a long-term study in 2017 with the result that novice drivers, who were only allowed to drive sober, were less frequently involved in traffic accidents while under the influence of alcohol in the following years.

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