Alcohol, Drugs and Fatigue in Swedish Traffic

Swedish impaired-driving rules are strict. The alcohol limit is low, the drug rule is close to zero tolerance, and fatigue is treated in the same sentence of the law as alcohol. These topics appear often on the theory test, and getting them wrong in real life can cost you your licence, especially during the two-year probation period.

The general rule: you must be fit to drive

The Traffic Ordinance (trafikförordningen 1998:1276, chapter 3, section 1) says that a vehicle may not be driven by someone who, because of illness, fatigue (uttröttning), alcohol, other stimulants or drugs, or any other reason, cannot drive the vehicle safely.

This rule applies even below the legal alcohol limit. If you are clearly unfit to drive, for example because you are exhausted or affected by medicine, you are breaking the rules even with a perfectly clean breath test.

Alcohol limits: 0.2 and 1.0 promille

The limits are set in the Act on Penalties for Certain Traffic Offences (lag 1951:649 om straff för vissa trafikbrott):

Offence	Blood alcohol	Breath alcohol	Maximum penalty
Drink-driving (rattfylleri)	at least 0.2 promille	0.10 mg per litre	fines or up to 6 months in prison
Gross drink-driving (grovt rattfylleri)	at least 1.0 promille	0.50 mg per litre	up to 2 years in prison

Gross drink-driving can also apply below 1.0 promille if the driver was otherwise significantly affected (avsevärt påverkad) or the driving caused a clear danger to traffic safety.

What this means in practice: 0.2 promille can be reached with a small amount of alcohol, and individual factors such as body weight, food and tiredness make it impossible to "calculate" a safe amount. Your body also breaks down alcohol slowly, and nothing speeds it up. Coffee, a shower or sleep does not make you sober faster, which is why many drivers are caught the morning after a party.

The same limits apply to anyone driving a tram.

Drugs and medicines

For narcotics, the law has no limit value. It is drink-driving under the same section if any narcotic substance remains in your blood when you drive, even if you feel completely normal and the drug was taken days earlier.

There is one exception: the drug rule does not apply if the narcotic substance was taken as prescribed by a doctor or other authorised prescriber. That exception does not give you a free pass, though. If a prescribed medicine makes you unfit to drive, the general rule in trafikförordningen still applies.

Before you drive on a new medicine:

Read the package leaflet for warnings about driving.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist whether it affects reaction time or alertness.
Be extra careful when combining medicines, or medicine and alcohol.

Police checks

The Swedish police may carry out a screening breath test (sållningsprov) without any suspicion of a crime. That is why you can be stopped at a routine checkpoint even if you were driving perfectly. If the screening test is positive, you are offered an evidential breath test in a special instrument.

Consequences for your licence

Drink-driving and gross drink-driving are grounds for revoking your licence under the Driving Licence Act (körkortslagen 1998:488). The blocking period (spärrtid), during which you cannot get a new licence, can be up to three years.

In many cases you can apply for a licence with an alcohol interlock condition (alkolås) instead of a long revocation. The condition lasts one year, or two years for gross drink-driving or repeated drink-driving within five years.

If you are still on probation, the situation is harsher. A revocation during the probation period means you must take both the knowledge test and the driving test again, and redo the risk training.

Fatigue: the underestimated risk

Fatigue does not show up in any roadside test, but it slows your reactions and weakens your attention, and at worst you fall asleep at the wheel for a few seconds without noticing. Trafikverket stresses every year that tired drivers contribute to road accidents and that everyone needs to rest regularly on long journeys.

Warning signs that you should stop:

yawning repeatedly and heavy eyelids
drifting in the lane or onto the rumble strip
missing road signs or exits
not remembering the last few kilometres

Opening the window or turning up the music does not fix tiredness. The only real cure is sleep. On a long trip, plan breaks at rest areas (rastplatser), and if you feel tired, stop as soon as it is safe.

Typical theory test traps

"0.2 promille is fine because it is the limit." No. At 0.2 promille you have reached the drink-driving limit.
"I took the drug last weekend, so I can drive." Any narcotic substance remaining in the blood is enough, regardless of how you feel.
"Prescribed medicine is always allowed." The prescription exception covers the narcotics rule only. You still must not drive if the medicine makes you unfit.
Coffee and fresh air. Questions often offer these as ways to sober up or stay awake. The correct answer is time for alcohol and sleep for fatigue.
Gross drink-driving threshold. It starts at 1.0 promille in the blood or 0.50 mg per litre in breath.

FAQ

Can the police breath test me without a reason?

Yes. A screening breath test may be carried out without any suspicion of a crime, so routine checkpoints are legal and common.

Can I lose my licence for driving tired?

There is no fixed fatigue limit, but driving when you are too tired to drive safely breaks trafikförordningen. If it leads to dangerous driving or an accident, it can bring criminal charges and consequences for your licence.

Is it safe to drive the morning after drinking?

Not necessarily. Alcohol leaves the body slowly, and you can still be over 0.2 promille many hours later. If you are unsure, do not drive.

These are rules where a single wrong answer on the theory test reflects a real risk on the road. You can practise questions on alcohol, drugs and fatigue in Körkort Hero, available in 16 languages, and check exactly where the limits lie before test day.

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