Alcohol, drugs, medication and fitness to drive
This domain is legal and medical at once: the exam wants the numeric limits, who they apply to, the consequences of exceeding them, and how medication, illness and fatigue affect fitness. Swiss practice is strict, and the novice limit catches many candidates.
Alcohol limits
- General limit: 0.5 per mille blood alcohol (0.05 %), which is roughly two standard drinks for an average adult.
- Novice limit: 0.1 per mille during the three-year probation period after passing the test, and also for professional drivers (chauffeurs).
- Refusing a breath or blood test is itself punishable and leads to licence withdrawal.
- The body breaks down only about 0.1 per mille per hour: coffee, cold showers and fresh air do not speed this up.
Consequences
Above the limit you face a fine, licence withdrawal (for the mid range at least three months, longer in the upper range), a criminal record in serious cases, a mandatory course, and in repeat or high-level cases a traffic-psychology assessment before you get the licence back.
Drugs and medication
Illegal narcotics mean zero tolerance: driving under their influence is punished even without evident impairment. Prescription and over-the-counter medicines can impair you - read the leaflet, ask the doctor or pharmacist, and do not drive if the leaflet warns against it. Combining medication with even a small amount of alcohol multiplies the effect.
Fitness to drive
You must judge yourself honestly: fever, severe pain, dizziness, uncontrolled diabetes, epilepsy, serious eyesight problems or hearing loss can all make you unfit. If you need glasses or contact lenses, the licence carries a code requiring you to wear them, and you should keep a spare pair in the car. When in doubt, do not drive.
Worked example
A driver in her first year after the test drinks one large beer and blows 0.3 per mille. That is below the general 0.5 limit but far above her 0.1 novice limit. Result: licence withdrawal, a fine and a course, even though she feels entirely sober. The reasoning is legal, not medical - the lower limit applies to the driver, not to the feeling.
Traps that cost marks
- Believing coffee or a shower sobers you up.
- Thinking one drink is always under the limit, ignoring the novice rule.
- Assuming prescribed medicine is safe because a doctor prescribed it.
- Trusting the morning after; alcohol can still be in the blood.
- Ignoring the licence code for corrective lenses.