Can I Stand Up Paddling While Drunk? Or skateboarding? The police explain

Summer is here! And with the high temperatures, the siege of Swiss waters has started again. Jumping into the cool water after work is part of the season for many Swiss. But even at the weekend, Mr. and Mrs. Schweizer do not want to miss the Bööteln. However, you should not overdo it with beer or other alcohol consumption. Especially if you plan to sail with a personal watercraft on the German side of the Rhine or Lake Constance.

The police in Freibug (in Germany) posted a message on Facebook stating that stand-up paddling on the Rhine is not allowed under the influence of alcohol. In the worst case, you can even lose your driver’s license.

The Rhine is considered a shipping route and on such a route the same rules apply as on road traffic – at least in Germany. The stand-up paddle – SUP for short – is regarded by our northern neighbor as a personal watercraft and the operators of such a boat must comply with the rules of a shipping route.

Also important: the alcohol limit in Germany only applies on shipping lanes, so if you go paddling drunk in a small pond, you’re in no danger – at least not from the police. But what about Switzerland?

In principle, the same rules regarding the use of alcohol and drugs apply to motorized shipping on Swiss waters as to road traffic. There are fines from a blood alcohol level of 0.5 promille and from a value of 0.8 promille there is a fine that entails the withdrawal of a fine.

However, the situation is sometimes different with SUPs and other aquatic companions. According to article 40a paragraph 5 BSV and article 16 paragraph 2 paragraph bd and paragraph 2bis, the law defines the following exceptions to the prohibition of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs:

Nevertheless, the following applies: even as a leisure captain you must be fit to drive. Exact limit values ​​are not laid down in law. So do not go boating or paddling when you are drunk, also for your own safety.

Just like in the water, there are special rules for non-motorized vehicles on land.

What many may not know: cycling under the influence of alcohol is punishable by law. You will be fined if you have a blood alcohol level of 0.5 promille. However, unlike with the car, there is no qualified blood alcohol value that would result in immediate suspension of the driver’s license. According to the Zurich Cantonal Police, a police patrol cannot confiscate driver’s licenses if no registered vehicle is involved.

However, anyone who has a value of more than 1.6 promille in several checks or once a value of more than 2.5 promille must expect far-reaching consequences. Because the police then assume a possible alcohol dependence and a report is filed with the Bureau of Administrative Measures.

You must then take a driving skills test at a traffic expert bureau. A lock of hair is used to determine whether there is harmful alcohol use or drug addiction. If one of the two cases is given, the driver’s license will be revoked.

According to the Zurich Administrative Measures Office and Cantonal Police, no specific limit values ​​have been defined for “vehicle-like devices” (roller skates, inline skates, skateboards, scooters, unicycles, balance bikes and children’s bicycles, animal carriages or horses).

However, if you operate one of these devices under the heavy influence of alcohol (more than 2.5 promille) or narcotics, you will be subject to a driving test by a traffic expert. What happens then depends on the findings of the expert body. The Office of Administrative Measures confirmed to Watson: “Driving licenses will be revoked for harmful use of alcohol, inability to distinguish between driving and drinking, or alcohol or drug addiction.”

In extreme cases, even a pedestrian can have his or her ticket revoked. However, a link must be made between the alcohol or drug use of the pedestrian and his participation in traffic.