Although obviously part of the UK, the Scotland drink drive limit is quite different from the rest of the country. In fact the Scottish Government website states that:
- “Scotland has a zero tolerance approach to drink driving.”
- “You cannot safely drink any alcohol when driving.”
- “One drink can put you over the limit.”
To this end, the limit in Scotland was reduced in December 2014. Therefore this is why we have created this separate page to answer some of the questions asked by those people facing drink driving penalties in Scotland.
| Level of Alcohol | England, Wales & Northern Ireland | Scotland |
| Micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath | 35 | 22 |
| Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of blood | 80 | 50 |
| Milligrammes per 100 millilitres of urine | 107 | 67 |
What is the Scotland Drink Drive Limit?
Just knowing that the drink drive limit in Scotland is 22 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, 50 micrograms per 100 millilitres of blood and 67 micrograms per 100 millilitres of urine, is not enough to make a correct judgement of how many units can you drink and drive in Scotland .
This information purely states the legal alcohol limit in Scotland. By no means does it actually answer the question of how many units can you drink and drive in Scotland. This is because it is actually an impossible question to answer, the only true safe amount of alcohol to drink is absolutely none at all.
The simple reason being that the consumption of alcohol affects everyone very differently. What breath you might blow into a breathalyser and what the results of blood and urine samples are, will have nothing to do with what you feel is your own personal tolerance to alcohol. There are so many other factors that can come into play such as :
- your weight
- your age
- your sex
- your metabolism
- what you have recently eaten
- whether you have had a drink on an empty stomach
- your current level of stress
- whether you have diabetes
- what medications you are taking currently
- the speed at which you have been drinking
- whether the drink, and any mixers, are carbonated
For more information about these breath, blood and urine alcohol factors please read our article Driving With Excess Alcohol.
What is the Blood Alcohol Limit Scotland?
Again, and as mentioned above, simply knowing that the blood alcohol limit in Scotland is 50 micrograms per 100 millilitres of blood is not enough to ensure you do not break the Scotland drink drive limit.
See our article Driving With Excess Alcohol for how alcohol limits are reached differently for every individual person.
‘How many units can you drink and drive in Scotland’ is a similarly difficult question to answer. The true answer always being zero units. As noted above, alcohol affects everyone in different ways so it is always better to be safe than sorry and not risk driving after drinking any alcohol whatsoever.
What are the Drink Driving Penalties Scotland?
The drink driving penalties in Scotland range from a ban to imprisonment. If you are prosecuted for a drink driving offence and found guilty by the Court, you will receive a minimum twelve month, i.e. a whole year, driving ban.
Other drink driving penalties Scotland include:
- possible imprisonment
- fines
- community orders
- confiscation of your vehicle
- a requirement to re take a driving test
Further information can be found on the Drink-drive limit in Scotland page on the Scottish Government’s website.
Scotland’s Courts
If you need to get in touch with the Sheriff Court you were was sentenced in, for example to let them know you would like to take your drink driving awareness course with LTP Driver training, the Scottish Courts & Tribunals website has a full list of all Sheriff Courts and contact information.
For any further information or questions please contact us, view our FAQs page and refer to our full terms and conditions.
