Italian residents can drink a BOTTLE of wine before driving and keep their licence

  • New diktat reverses previous regulations
  • Drivers can consume a bottle of wine and keep their licence
  • Campaigners warn the rules are a ‘crippling blow’
  • The new regulations apply in Avellino, a province in Italy’s southern Campania region

Drivers in Avellino, Italy, can now drink a whole bottle of wine before driving and not lose their licence following a change in the law, reports The Telegraph (July 26, 2015).

Carlo Sessa, the prefect of Avellino, a province in the south of the country, introduced the new rules which mean drivers who have consumed eight glasses – about one bottle – can only be fined £560.

The diktat reverses rules dictating that drivers found with a blood-alcohol content of between 0.8 and 1.5g per litre of blood face having their license suspended for up to 12 months.

Road safety campaigners have slammed the new regulations for sending the message that it is OK to drive drunk.