Many people are unaware of this, and only realise it when it is too late. In Switzerland, the 0.5‰ alcohol limit does not apply only to cars. It applies to all vehicles, including conventional and electric bicycles.
If you have a driving licence and are caught cycling with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, you’re not just risking a fine. Your driving licence could be revoked. A specific case occurred recently in Eschlikon, in the canton of Thurgau: a 55-year-old man fell off his electric bike just after midnight with a blood alcohol level of 2.8‰. The cantonal police revoked his driving licence. Just like that. And the man wasn’t even driving a car.
Many people who have lived in Switzerland for years – and who, in summer, use a bike or e-bike to go to a barbecue or for a drink with friends – take it for granted that cycling is a free-for-all. It isn’t. Fast e-bikes – those that provide assistance up to 45 km/h – require a driving licence and are subject to the same rules as cars. But even with a slow, non-motorised bike, if you hold a driving licence, there is a risk that your licence could be revoked.
The rule has been in place for years. What’s changed is that there are more and more e-bikes, more people using them to get to events, and more checks in the summer. Something that would be unthinkable in Spain is perfectly feasible here. And the Swiss know it. And then people are surprised.