A driver was intercepted by the Local Police of Castilleja de la Cuesta, in Seville, southern Spain, after officers detected irregular driving. When identified, officers observed signs consistent with alcohol consumption and submitted him to a breathalyzer test, which revealed an alcohol level of 1 milligram of alcohol per liter of exhaled air. The man was driving without a seatbelt and using his mobile phone manually while driving.
Faced with the result, four times above the general maximum limit applicable in Spain (0.25 mg/l), the driver stated that he had not consumed alcohol and attributed the level to the vinegar from a gazpacho he had eaten before driving. The explanation was not accepted by the officers, who informed the man of his rights as a suspect in an alleged crime against road safety.
The recorded value also exceeded the threshold of 0.60 mg/l from which driving under the influence of alcohol can have criminal relevance in Spain. Under this framework, the driver may face a prison sentence of three to six months, a fine of six to 12 months, community service of 31 to 90 days, or a driving ban for a period of one to four years. The case will proceed to a rapid trial.
The Local Police shared on social media an image related to the incident, which generated comments about the justification presented. The article clarifies that the original gazpacho recipe does not include alcohol, so this traditional Spanish dish would never, by itself, produce results of this magnitude on a breathalyzer test.
