Alcohol-related road accidents are responsible for 237,000 deaths globally every year.
And while these accidents are common all year round, drink driving accidents are three times more likely in December than any other month, as people let lose to celebrate the holiday season. With that being said, a new study from Confused.com has taken a look at the countries around the world that have the highest fines for offenders – you don’t want to be caught drink driving in some of these countries this Christmas.
With unlimited fines, the UK topped the list as the country with the highest fines for drink drivers.
The top 15 countries and their fines were:
-
United Kingdom – Unlimited Fines
-
South Korea – Won 20,000,000 / £12,370
-
Singapore – SGD 20,000 / £10,889
-
Belgium – €12,000 / £10,383
-
Qatar – QR 50,000 / £10,064
-
Luxembourg – €10,000 / £8,600
-
Japan – ¥1,000,000 / £6,660.00
-
South Africa – R 120,000 / £5,841
-
Italy – €6000 / £5,177
-
Norway – NK 90,255* / £5,138
-
Austria – €5,900 / £5,098
-
Denmark – DK 43,487Avg* / £5,031
-
United Arab Emirates – AED 25,000 / £5,024
-
Ireland – €5000 /£4,297
-
France €4,500 / £3,861
*Some fines are based upon a percentage of a person’s salary. In these instances, the average annual salary for the country was taken and the percentage was calculated from this.
South Korea came in second place, with a whopping fine of £12,370, followed by Singapore and Belgium. The study also researched which countries have the strictest drink driving laws across the globe.
Looking at 47 countries across the world, the study looked into yearly death rates from drink-driving, the BAC limits (blood alcohol content), and the maximum fine, suspension and prison sentences for those caught.
Uzbekistan currently holds the number one spot, scoring a whopping 61 points out of a possible 80, with a zero-tolerance for alcohol consumption and driving. Luxembourg took second place, with 37 points out of 80.
|
Rank
|
Country
|
BAC Limit
|
Max Fine (GBP)
|
Max Driving Suspensions
|
Prison Sentences
|
Estimated RTA death rate per 100,000 people
|
Total Score /80
|
|
1
|
Uzbekistan
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£2,280.00
|
3 Years
|
15 Days
|
11.5
|
61
|
|
2
|
Luxembourg
|
0.05
|
£8,600.00
|
15 Years
|
3 Years
|
6.1
|
37
|
|
3
|
Philippines
|
0.05
|
£1,166.00
|
Permanent
|
3 Months
|
12.3
|
35
|
|
4
|
Poland
|
0.02
|
Set to Increase
|
Permanent
|
Set to Increase
|
9.7
|
32
|
|
5
|
France
|
0.05
|
£3,861.73
|
Life
|
2 Years
|
5.5
|
30
|
|
6
|
South Korea
|
0.03
|
£12,370.00
|
Not Available
|
5 Years
|
9.8
|
30
|
|
7
|
South Africa
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£5,841.00
|
Loss of License
|
2 Years
|
25.9
|
30
|
|
8
|
Czech Republic (Czechia)
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£1,715.00
|
10 years
|
3 Years
|
5.9
|
29
|
|
9
|
Hungary
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£478.04
|
10 years
|
2 Years
|
7.8
|
27
|
|
10
|
Qatar
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£10,065.00
|
Not Available
|
3 Years
|
9.3
|
27
|
|
11
|
Belarus
|
0.03
|
£1,033.70
|
Car Seized and sold
|
3 Years
|
8.9
|
25
|
|
12
|
Bangladesh
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£86.30
|
Lifetime
|
2 years
|
15.3
|
23
|
|
13
|
Vietnam
|
Zero Tolerance
|
£1,274.82
|
2 Years
|
Not Available
|
26.4
|
23
|
|
14
|
Dominican Republic
|
0.05
|
Not Available
|
Permanent
|
6 Months
|
34.6
|
22
|
|
15
|
Japan
|
0.03
|
£6,660.00
|
Min 2 Years
|
5 Years
|
4.1
|
22
|
The full study can be found in full here.
