By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: What's the penalty/fine for drunk driving in China?
And how much trouble would be in for being caught without a valid driver's license?
11 years 46 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
Deportation can be on the cards as one fellow found out last year
on a lighter note maybe they would make you try to direct traffic at
a free buffet at a old laddies dance class
This is one of the laws that NOBODY messes with.
Even the higher ups here get a driver to drive them after drinking.
Yeah, the penalty is pretty stiff. There's 2 tiers here. If you get caught driving after drinking (not drunk) you get thrown in jail for a couple weeks. If you get caught driving while drunk (I forget the blood alcohol level requirement, I guess something like 0.8%), you're looking at something like a few months in jail.
Get caught doing either without a valid license? I have no idea....I'm sure the penalty gets amplified somewhat. Deportation is probably a no-brainer....unless of course you have some high-level guanxi....then you probably get off scott-free 
I agree with the stiff penalties, but I'm not sure I could tell the difference between a sober Chinese driver and a drunk one. I also don't see many traffic cops around who would actually enforce it (most just direct traffic).
Unless you crash then the penalties are non existent. Drink all you want and drive...no worries...unless you smash into someone else...then you are fucked.
I can't count the amount of times I have gotten rides from drunken rich dudes and there has never been a problem.
FYI...this is not to say I agree with drunk driving...just that I know how it works here...even if they get caught...a few hundred Mao's makes it all go away.
DUI : This is one you really do not want to be involved with. The penalties are severe, even death if enough damage and fatalities are involved. This is a very serious offense in their eyes.
Drivers in Beijing can be cited as drunk if they have a blood alcohol level at or above 0.02, or 20 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. That is much lower than the US limit of .08, making virtually any consumption of alcohol by drivers illegal.
So, in China, if you drink, even only one beer, do not drive afterwards.
And driving without a valid license in China, depending on what you were doing when caught, could be from a fine around 250 Rmb, and confiscation of vehicle until you pay the fine, to even deportation if any aggravating circumstances will included, besides compensation if any one was injured.
It is now a difficult offense to clear even for government officials. Had a friend two years ago, top official in a large developed city. She was caught and received a DUI. At first, she thought, no problem, I'll buy my way out, in the end she did 90 days in a jail with murders, rapist and drug pushers," they don't separate convicts", and lost her position with the government
i think its a few months in jail. and it seems that the police are getting more and more strict with it in my city at least. I see a LOT of roadblocks and just about every one has people out of their cars, often being ticketed. It's not worth the risk when a cab ride is so damn cheap.
I've known one guy that got off with a free pass. And if that happens once I'm sure it happens again and again. They have to meet a certain quota though so if they haven't met that quota yet before they busted you you're in deep trouble!
