A new law amendment in Slovakia makes possible from 1^st January 2017 to ride a bicycle with a blood alcohol concentration up to 0.5 per thousand, i.e. 0.24 mg/l if one takes a breath test, while there was zero tolerance before. However, it is valid only in urban areas or on independent cycle paths out of cities. In all other cases such as cycling on normal roads there is zero tolerance of alcohol, same as for car drivers. The allowed alcohol quantity should correspond to one beer (0.5 l) or one glass of wine (0.2 l), although it depends on many factors such as body mass and metabolism.

This new law amendment has been meant to support cycling and cyclotourism which becomes more and more popular in Slovakia. Its authors, deputies Tibor Bastrnák a Gábor Gál from the Most-Híd party taking part in the current Slovak coalition government, argue that such a small blood alcohol concentration (less than 0.5 ‰) does not influence road users’ abilities and according to scientific findings there is only a minimal impact on their psychological and motor functions. They also assume that promoting cycling only via investments in new cycle routes is not sufficient. Several countries have already adopted similar rules, for instance Austria or Switzerland, and a resembling law amendment has been in preparation in the neighboring Czech Republic. In fact, the 0.5 ‰ limit (0.24 mg/l) is the blood alcohol concentration which has been recommended to EU Member States by the European Commission within the EU strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol-related harm adopted in 2006.

Nevertheless, according to Slovak police drunken cyclists are not an exception in Slovak cities and villages. Therefore, the law amendment has a lot of critics who think that there should be absolutely no tolerance or that 0.5 ‰ is too high. What impact can alcohol actually have on cyclists? It worsens coordination and concentration, cyclists may have problems while turning, they tend to risk more often, their reactions become slower and their eyes do not adapt well to colors and the transitions of light and dark. Such cyclists can represent a threat to other cyclists and pedestrians. On the other hand, forbidding a mere glass of wine does not make sense on cycle wine routes which are very popular for instance in France (Alsace, Burgundy). If alcohol is enjoyed by cyclists, it must be with moderation and full coincidence of potential consequences.

The majority of European countries (France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Portugal) apply to cyclists the same rules which are applied to drivers because bicycle is legally a vehicle, but national legislations on alcohol tolerance for road users differ from country to country. Drunk driving laws setting zero alcohol tolerance are in fact only in some countries of Central and Eastern Europe, Slovakia included, and it is where different conditions for cyclists introducing a small level of tolerance seem justifiable. In all cases, it should be clear that any punishment for cyclists who are caught drunk must never be the same as for drunk car, lorry or bus drivers because consequences are diametrically different.