A Brussels MP said she was “shocked” to discover she had failed a roadside breathalyser test after consuming what she thought was a non-alcoholic drink on an evening out in Blankenberge.
In an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN) Sonja Hoylaerts, who sits in the Brussels Parliament as an independent MP, claimed that there was a mix-up at the Chinese restaurant where she had spent the evening with friends.
Hoylaerts, 56, says she consumed a glass of wine, then switched to what she thought was a Crodino tonic after asking for a mocktail. Crodino is a non-alcoholic Italian aperitif, often mixed with tonic.
As the group’s designated driver, Hoylaerts readily took the wheel to drive home at the end of the evening. But when she was stopped at a police checkpoint on the way, she tested over the legal limit.
"I was in shock,” she told HLN. “I thought: this isn't right. I haven't been drinking. Certainly not enough to test positive."
After returning to the restaurant to find out what had happened, Hoylaerts says she was told that they had in fact served her Aperol, and weren’t even aware what Crodino was.
Calls for a 'complete zero tolerance policy'
The experience has left the MP concerned that there is a grey area as far as drink driving is concerned. Now, she is advocating a “complete zero tolerance policy” on drink driving.
She told HLN: “As long as there's a grey area, people will keep guessing. That creates confusion. If it's clear that you're not allowed to touch a drop of alcohol, then everyone knows where they stand...You never know what you're getting in a restaurant. Especially if you haven't seen the bottle.”
