🚗🍷 Drink-driving during the festive season: an underestimated risk

The end-of-year celebrations are a time for togetherness: family dinners 🎄, gatherings with friends 🥂 and professional events 🎉.
Unfortunately, they also coincide with a significant increase in road accidents.

Every year, drink-driving remains one of the leading causes of serious accidents during the festive season.

👉 Raising awareness and explaining the legal framework is essential — not to moralise, but to prevent avoidable tragedies.

⚠️ 1. Alcohol and driving: a dangerous mix

Even small amounts of alcohol impair driving ability:

• ⏱️ slower reaction times

• 🧠 impaired judgment

• 👀 reduced vision (especially at night)

• 📈 overconfidence

❗ A common misconception is that one can “get used to” alcohol.
Feeling fine does not mean being legally or medically fit to drive.

⚖️ 2. What does Belgian law say?

📊 Legal limits

In Belgium, driving is prohibited from:

• 0.22 mg/l of exhaled alveolar air,

• or 0.5 g/l of blood alcohol concentration.

🔎 Note: certain drivers (including professional drivers) are subject to stricter limits.

🚨 Possible penalties

A positive breath test may result in serious consequences, even without an accident:

• 🚫 immediate licence suspension (3 to 15 days or longer)

• 💶 criminal fines

• ⚖️ driving disqualification ordered by the court

• 🩺 medical and/or psychological assessments

• 📘 theoretical and/or practical driving tests to be retaken

👉 In the event of an accident, consequences can be severe:

• possible prison sentences ⛓️

• personal financial liability (damages, insurer recourse) 💸

• long-term impact on personal and professional life

🍾 3. “I only had one drink”: a false sense of security

There is no universal rule determining how much alcohol one can consume without exceeding the legal limit.

Alcohol levels depend on several factors, including:

• ⚖️ weight and gender

• ⏳ speed of consumption

• 🍽️ food intake

• 😴 fatigue

• 🧬 individual metabolism

➡️ Two people drinking the same amount may still register very different alcohol levels.

👮 4. Festive season: increased police checks

During the festive period, enhanced roadside checks are carried out, particularly:

• 🌙 weekend evenings and nights

• 🎆 Christmas and New Year’s Eve

• 🍽️ near restaurants, corporate events and celebrations

🎯 The main objective is prevention: reducing the number of serious and fatal accidents.

✅ 5. Plan ahead to celebrate safely

Fortunately, simple solutions exist:

• 🧍‍♂️ appoint a designated sober driver

• 🚆 use public transport

• 🚕 take a taxi or ride service

• 🔄 use a driver replacement service

• 🛏️ stay overnight

• 📅 plan your journey in advance

👉 These choices do not ruin the celebration.
They help keep everyone safe.

🤝 6. Responsibility without moralising

Anyone can make a mistake.
But driving under the influence is never trivial.

Behind every drink-driving case, there is often:

• 🎉 a celebration meant to be joyful

• ⏱️ a decision taken too quickly

• ⚖️ serious and sometimes irreversible consequences

Prevention remains the best protection.

🏁 Conclusion

The festive season should remain a time of joy,
not the beginning of legal proceedings or human tragedy.

👉 If you drink, don’t drive.
👉 If you drive, don’t drink.

A simple choice can make all the difference ❤️

👉 Questions or a specific situation?
Every case is different. In the event of a positive alcohol test, licence suspension or prosecution for drink-driving, I am available to advise and assist you with a rigorous, human and personalised approach. Do not hesitate to contact me.