Alcohol, drugs and the beginner licence: the rules every theory-B student must know

Just one drink and then drive? As a beginner, the limit is much lower than many people think. The theory exam has questions about alcohol, drugs, medicines and the beginner licence. Here are the rules as they stand in Dutch law and on official government pages.

1. The alcohol limit: 0.5 or 0.2 per mille

• Experienced driver: at most 0.5 per mille (0.5‰) alcohol in your blood, or 220 micrograms per litre of exhaled breath (Wegenverkeerswet 1994, art. 8(2)).
• Novice driver: at most 0.2 per mille in your blood, or 88 micrograms per litre of exhaled breath (art. 8(3)). According to the Dutch government, 0.5‰ is roughly 2 glasses. For a beginner, 0.2‰ in practice means: don't drink at all if you are going to drive.
• Driving a car without a licence? The 0.2‰ limit applies to you too (art. 8(4)).
• A supervisor (for example with 2toDrive) may not act as supervisor above 0.5‰ either (art. 8(2)).

2. How long are you a novice driver?

Everyone who gets a first driving licence gets a beginner licence (beginnersrijbewijs). How long it lasts depends on your age and the licence type:

• First licence at 18 or older: 5 years.
• B licence at 17: 5 years, counted from the date the B licence was issued.
• AM licence (moped) at 16: 7 years. If you then also get your B licence at 17, the 5-year period applies.

3. The breath test and what happens next

• The police use a breath test at checks or after an accident. If you blow too high, a more precise test follows at the police station.
• The Public Prosecution Service (OM) can give you a fine or sentence, and the police report you to the CBR.
• The CBR can impose an educational measure. For novice drivers: the short LEMA course at 0.5 to 0.8‰, the EMA course at 0.8 to 1.3‰, and an investigation into your alcohol use above 1.3‰. For experienced drivers the thresholds are higher (LEMA at 0.8 to 1.0, EMA at 1.0 to 1.8).
• Refusing the breath test also leads to the EMA course. And if you don't take part in a course the CBR imposes, your licence is declared invalid.
• Good to know (CBR): your body needs 1 to 1.5 hours to process one standard glass of beer. After a heavy night of drinking you are not always sober the next morning.

4. The points licence (for everyone)

• If you are convicted twice within 5 years for drink-driving and the second time you had more than 1.3‰, your licence becomes invalid. You have to take the driving test again and prove you are fit to drive (Wegenverkeerswet art. 123b).
• If the second conviction was below 1.3‰, the Dutch government says a new 5-year period starts, again with 1 penalty point.
• Drugs too: 2 convictions within 5 years for driving under the influence make your licence automatically invalid.

5. Penalty points on your beginner licence

Besides alcohol, a beginner can get penalty points for serious offences, for example:

• causing danger or obstruction in traffic;
• tailgating at more than 80 km/h;
• speeding by more than 40 km/h on a motorway, or more than 30 km/h on other roads;
• causing a collision by not following the traffic rules properly.

After the 2nd penalty point you must hand in your licence to the police. The CBR then carries out an investigation into your driving ability. You can lose your licence for good and have to take the driving test again.

6. Drugs and driving

• There are legal limits for, among others, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, morphine and GHB. Above the limit you are committing an offence.
• Combining different drugs, or drugs and alcohol: a zero limit applies. The amount doesn't matter.
• The police can do a saliva test and possibly a test of your pupils, speech and motor skills. You must cooperate. If the test points to drug use, a blood test follows.
• If you use cannabis several times a week, there is a good chance you always have too much in your body (Dutch government).
• The OM can take your licence for up to 6 months; a judge can disqualify you from driving for up to 5 years. The CBR can impose a drugs and traffic course (EMD).

7. Medicines: watch for the yellow sticker

• Medicines that can reduce your driving ability have a yellow sticker or warning on the box. It is also in the package leaflet (Thuisarts.nl).
• Examples: sleeping pills and sedatives, some painkillers (such as morphine and tramadol), medicines for depression or anxiety, and medicines for allergies or travel sickness.
• Check rijveiligmetmedicijnen.nl to see if and when you may drive, or ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• Medicine plus alcohol or drugs: a zero limit applies here too. And driving on a medicine that rules it out can affect your insurance.

8. What does this mean for your theory exam?

These rules belong to the CBR exam topics Verantwoorde verkeersdeelname (responsible road use and risks) and Wetgeving (legislation). The car theory exam has 50 questions; you need at least 44 correct, and you have 30 minutes.

Tip from The Bro School

Memorise three numbers: 0.2 (novice), 0.5 (experienced) and 5 years (beginner period, or 7 years after a moped licence at 16). In every question, first ask: is this driver a beginner or not? Practise with full mock exams in our theory packages and read the explanation of every mistake.

Sources: Wegenverkeerswet 1994, arts. 8 and 123b; Rijksoverheid: alcohol in traffic; Rijksoverheid: beginner licence; Rijksoverheid: points licence and beginner licence; Rijksoverheid: penalty points beginner licence; Rijksoverheid: drugs in traffic; Rijksoverheid: medicines in traffic; CBR: LEMA; CBR: EMA; CBR: drug test; Thuisarts: medicines and safe driving; CBR: theory exam topics; CBR: how the theory exam works