Thailand

Blood Alcohol Content Calculator – Thailand Drink Driving Limit 🇹🇭

Driving in Thailand? The legal limit is 0.05% (50mg per 100ml) for most drivers, and just 0.02% (20mg%) for under-20s and new licence holders. Our BAC calculator estimates your blood alcohol content and when you'll be sober again.

50 mg/100 ml Drink-drive limit

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ℹ️ Information

CONTEXT
🌎 Country
Show results in
ABOUT YOU
Sex
⚖️ Weight

lbs

⏱️ Start time of drinking (optional) Time of your first drink (not required)

🕒

⏳ Or: hours ago —
0h6h12h18h24h

🍹🍸🍺 Drinks

Drink {{index+1}} 🍷

%

Maximum number of drinks reached.

The results will show up here...
📈 Results
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Drink-drive limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above the Thai limit – driving now is a criminal offence. Approaching the 0.05% Thai limit – do not drive. Below the 0.05% Thai limit — but the only fully safe option before driving is zero.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Alcohol Limit Thailand: 0.05% (50mg%) — 0.02% for New Drivers

General drivers (licence over 5 yrs) 50 mg%
Under 20 / new & provisional licence 20 mg%

Thailand Drink Driving Penalties & Alcohol Limit

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Drink driving (criminal offence) Over the limit (50 / 20 mg%) Criminal offence — jail up to 1 year, a fine, and licence suspension; refusing the test counts as an admission.
Typical penalties
  • Up to 1 year jail
  • ฿5,000–฿20,000 fine
  • Licence suspension from 6 months
Offence type Causing an accident / repeat offence Causing injury or death Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • 1–10 years jail
  • Up to ฿200,000 fine
  • Licence revoked
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →

Drink-drive limit

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Based on Thai law (0.05% / 50mg%) ·

Elimination rate

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Typical average

Standard Drinks

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Approx. consumed

Pure Alcohol

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Pure alcohol consumed

Pure Alcohol (g)

{{ alcoholGrams }} g
Total ethanol consumed

Calories

{{ calories }} kcal
From alcohol only — mixers add more

Time over limit

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Estimated duration above the 0.05% Thai limit
For your own safety, we recommend using a rate no higher than the average.
Current BACPeak BAC {{ initialSobriety }}{{ unitSign }} Drink-drive limit {{ countryLimit }}{{ unitSign }}
Safe Caution Impaired Intoxicated Dangerous
Above the Thai limit – driving now is a criminal offence. Approaching the 0.05% Thai limit – do not drive. Below the 0.05% Thai limit — but the only fully safe option before driving is zero.
{{ legalLimitTimeLabel }}
Sober in: {{ sobrietyTime }}

Alcohol Limit Thailand: 0.05% (50mg%) — 0.02% for New Drivers

General drivers (licence over 5 yrs) 50 mg%
Under 20 / new & provisional licence 20 mg%

Thailand Drink Driving Penalties & Alcohol Limit

Offence type No offence Below the legal limit – driving is permitted.
Offence type Over the 0.0 limit Zero-tolerance country — driving with any detectable alcohol is prohibited.
Offence type Over the legal limit You are over the legal limit and committing a drink-driving offence. Exact penalties depend on your BAC and local law.
Offence type Drink driving (criminal offence) Over the limit (50 / 20 mg%) Criminal offence — jail up to 1 year, a fine, and licence suspension; refusing the test counts as an admission.
Typical penalties
  • Up to 1 year jail
  • ฿5,000–฿20,000 fine
  • Licence suspension from 6 months
Offence type Causing an accident / repeat offence Causing injury or death Criminal offence — may result in a criminal record.
Typical penalties
  • 1–10 years jail
  • Up to ฿200,000 fine
  • Licence revoked
These are general penalties. Actual consequences may vary by local law and circumstances. Learn more →
{{ afterLabel }} {{ $t('unit.' + units) }} Status
{{ result.time }} {{ result.drunkenness }}
  • Below the 0.05% Thai limit — but the only fully safe option before driving is zero.
  • Approaching the 0.05% Thai limit – do not drive.
  • Above the Thai limit – driving now is a criminal offence.
Create a pop-up notification
📉 Sobriety Over Time
👮 Health impact and legal consequences
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Peak BAC: {{ peakBAC }}

💡 Advice: drink water, eat, and avoid driving. The Thai limit is 0.05% (0.02% for new drivers). If you are anywhere near it, find another way home.

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Attention‼️ The results are only approximate, so make sure you are sober before driving.

About results
Current BAC

Your Current BAC shows your estimated blood alcohol concentration right now, displayed in mg% (mg per 100ml), promille (‰) or as a percentage. This reflects how much alcohol is in your bloodstream and is used to assess impairment.

Legal limit

In Thailand, the alcohol limit is 0.05% (50mg%) for most drivers, and a stricter 0.02% (20mg%) for under-20s and new or provisional licence holders. Exceeding it carries up to 1 year in jail, a ฿5,000–฿20,000 fine, and a licence suspension of at least 6 months.

Elimination rate

Your body metabolises alcohol at a steady rate — typically ~0.15 ‰ per hour. Nothing — not coffee, not a cold shower, not exercise — speeds this up.

Standard Drinks

One standard drink ≈ 10g of pure alcohol — equivalent to a 100ml glass of wine at 12%, a 330ml beer at 5%, or a 30ml shot at 40%.

Pure Alcohol

This is the total amount of pure alcohol (ethanol) your body has absorbed, in grams. Useful for comparing against weekly limits — WHO recommends no more than 10 standard drinks per week.

Time vs. Sobriety Table

The table lists how your BAC is expected to change with each hour passed — and when a Start time of drinking is provided, it aligns these estimates with the exact time of day you began drinking. Particularly useful for the morning-after check before driving the next day.

Sobriety Over Time Graph

A visual line chart plotting your estimated BAC decline over hours. It helps you see when your BAC drops back under the 0.05% Thai limit and when it reaches zero.

How Alcohol Affects You

This reference table shows ranges of BAC and typical effects on your body and behaviour — from mild alertness changes to severe impairment.

Legal limit reached in / Sober in / Peak BAC

These summaries give quick key estimates:

  • Legal limit reached in: time until your BAC drops back under the 0.05% Thai limit.

  • Sober in: total time until BAC reaches ~0.00.

  • Peak BAC: the highest BAC value recorded in the session.

Thailand Drink Driving Limit & Alcohol Calculator Data

Five factors that determine your result

Weight
Body weight determines how alcohol distributes in the body — more weight means a lower blood alcohol concentration.
Sex
Men and women metabolise alcohol at different rates because of differences in body water content.
Amount
The amount of pure alcohol consumed is the main factor that determines your BAC result.
Strength
A higher strength (%) means more ethanol in the same drink serving.
Time
The time of your first drink shows how BAC changes hour by hour and when you'll be sober again.

How much does Thailand drink?

Alcohol consumption per adult, per year

7.6L

litres of pure alcohol per adult (15+), per year

Per adult, that is roughly:

461 beers ≈ 9/week
422 glasses of wine ≈ 8/week
475 shots ≈ 9/week
7.6 L
0.0 L Ø 3.1 7.6 L

142% above the regional average

Ranks #1 of 10 in South-East Asia Ranks #56 of 188 in the World Average in South-East Asia: 3.1 L

How neighbours compare

#1 Laos 11.2L #1 Western Pacific
#2 Vietnam 10.7L #3 Western Pacific
#3 Thailand 7.6L #1 South-East Asia
#4 Cambodia 5.4L #9 Western Pacific
#5 Myanmar 1.9L #7 South-East Asia
#6 Malaysia 0.8L #20 Western Pacific

How safe are the roads in Thailand?

Road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, per year

25.4 /100k

road traffic deaths per 100,000 people, 2021

~33% of road deaths linked to alcohol WHO estimate, 2019 · 22–47%
350 road deaths per week WHO estimate, 2021
117 alcohol-linked deaths per week WHO-derived estimate
25.4
1.3 Ø 15.9 28.2

60% more road deaths than the regional average

#8 safest of 9 in South-East Asia #180 safest of 195 worldwide Average in South-East Asia: 15.9 per 100k

How neighbours compare

#1 Malaysia 13.9 #19 Western Pacific
#2 Laos 16.4 #22 Western Pacific
#3 Vietnam 17.7 #25 Western Pacific
#4 Cambodia 18.8 #27 Western Pacific
#5 Myanmar 19.3 #7 South-East Asia
#6 Thailand 25.4 #8 South-East Asia

Latest available year shown per country.

LIMITS NEARBY

BAC limits in neighboring countries

Explore the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits for drivers in nearby countries.

MY

Malaysia

50mg/100 ml
Moderate
LA

Laos

50mg/100 ml
Moderate
KH

Cambodia

50mg/100 ml
Moderate
MM

Myanmar

80mg/100 ml
Relaxed
VN

Vietnam

0mg/100 ml
Zero tolerance

Alcohol Limit Thailand: 0.05% (50mg%) — 0.02% for New Drivers

Legal drink driving limits for Thailand

General drivers (licence over 5 yrs)
50mg%
Moderate
Under 20 / new & provisional licence
20mg%
Strict
Most Thai drivers must stay under 0.05% (50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood). A stricter 0.02% (20mg%) limit applies to drivers under 20, provisional or under-5-year licence holders, and unlicensed or suspended drivers. Exceeding the limit carries up to 1 year in jail, a ฿5,000–฿20,000 fine, and a licence suspension of at least 6 months. Refusing the test is treated as an admission of guilt.

Thailand Drink Driving Penalties & Alcohol Limit

Consequences of drink driving in Thailand by severity

Over the limit (50 / 20 mg%)
Drink driving (criminal offence)
  • Up to 1 year jail
  • ฿5,000–฿20,000 fine
  • Licence suspension from 6 months
Causing injury or death
Causing an accident / repeat offence
  • 1–10 years jail
  • Up to ฿200,000 fine
  • Licence revoked

Source: Thailand Land Traffic Act (พระราชบัญญัติจราจรทางบก); Royal Thai Police.

Responsible Drinking & the 0.05% Limit in Thailand

Practical tips for safer drinking

Pace yourself
Stick to the "one drink per hour" rule – your liver needs time to process alcohol.
Eat before and while drinking
A solid meal slows alcohol absorption – an empty stomach raises BAC faster.
Drink water
After each alcoholic drink, have a glass of water – it reduces dehydration and health risks.
Don't drive
The Thai limit is 0.05% (just 0.02% for new drivers). Use Grab, a taxi, or a tuk-tuk, or stay overnight.

Source: WHO; Thailand Land Traffic Act; Royal Thai Police.

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