Drinking and driving

Hair test can trigger lifelong “branding”

Drinking and driving is never a good idea: if a hair test is carried out afterwards, it can result in lifelong cuts to your driving license.

(Bild: APA/Picturedesk Krone KREATIV,)

Anyone who gets behind the wheel drunk must rightly reckon with the full force of the penal code. However, above certain blood alcohol levels, the law strikes hard in different federal states with a prescribed hair analysis. This test has its pitfalls, behind it is the unpredictability of the authorities and, in the worst case, a lifelong "branding".

The Alkomat beeps, the reading on the display shows more than 0.8 milligrams. Converted, this is more than 1.6 per mille. If this limit is exceeded, the driver is subject to the highest level of the catalog of penalties: The driver's license is gone for at least six months, the fine ranges between 1600 and 5900 euros, followed by an appointment with a medical officer and a traffic psychological examination as well as retraining. The catch is that some federal states (see below) also impose a hair test at their own discretion, which is a tough one.