Do not touch the steering wheel after drinking; this includes electric vehicles and "moving the car a little bit," and do not lend your car to someone who has been drinking or does not have a driver's license.

Using a designated driver or taking a taxi costs only a few dozen yuan. Agree in advance who won’t drink at any gathering. It can be hard to politely refuse when others keep offering drinks.

Driving after drinking results in a 6-month temporary suspension of the driver's license and a fine of 1,000 to 2,000 yuan. Repeat offenders face detention for up to 10 days and revocation of the driver's license. Drunk driving leads to direct revocation of the driver's license, a 5-year ban on retaking the exam, and criminal liability under the crime of dangerous driving, which involves short-term imprisonment (criminal detention) and fines. For those operating commercial vehicles, the penalties are more severe: drinking and driving leads to 15 days of detention, a 5,000 yuan fine, and a 5-year driving ban. Drunk driving leads to a 10-year driving ban, and you are prohibited from operating commercial vehicles for life. If drinking or drunk driving causes a major accident that constitutes a crime, you are banned from driving for life. Commercial auto insurance will not pay for any claims involving driving after drinking or drug use. In residential areas or parking lots, moving or parking a car—types of short-distance drunk driving—may not be treated as a crime, but the driver's license will still be revoked, and fines and detention for drinking and driving will still apply. When riding electric bicycles, the State Council’s implementing regulations also prohibit drunk riding; violations are punishable by a warning or a fine of 5–50 yuan. Giving a vehicle to someone without a licence, or whose licence has been revoked or suspended, is punishable by a fine of 200–2,000 yuan and may also result in revocation of your own licence. If a borrowed car is involved in an accident, the driver generally pays compensation. However, if you knew or should have known that the borrower had been drinking or lacked a licence and still gave them the car, the court considers you at fault and requires you to pay a share corresponding to that fault. In a case published by the Supreme People’s Court in May 2026, an owner knew that their dining companion had been drinking but still let them drive. The owner was ordered to share liability with the driver within a 40% limit (China).

全国人大常委会 (2021). 道路交通安全法（2021 年修订，第八十九、九十一、九十九条）. https://jtgl.beijing.gov.cn/jgj/jgxx/flfg/fl/205308/index.html（北京市公安交通管理局转载）；国务院 (2004). 道路交通安全法实施条例（国务院令第 405 号，第七十二条）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2008-03/28/content_3745.htm；最高人民法院、最高人民检察院、公安部、司法部 (2023). 关于办理醉酒危险驾驶刑事案件的意见（第十二、二十条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/xwfbh/wsfbt/202312/t20231218_637161.shtml；全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第一千二百零九条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml；最高人民法院 (2020). 关于审理道路交通事故损害赔偿案件适用法律若干问题的解释（2020 年修正，第一条）. https://gw.nscourt.gov.cn/nscourt/wzsy/swgk/sfwj/content/post_1473229.html（深圳市南山区人民法院转载）；最高人民法院 (2026). 最高法发布道路交通事故损害赔偿典型案例（案例 1）. https://www.court.gov.cn/zixun/xiangqing/499041.html；全国人大常委会 (2015). 刑法修正案（九）（第八条，即刑法第一百三十三条之一）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/201802/t20180205_364562.shtml；中国保险行业协会 (2020). 机动车商业保险示范条款（2020 版）（第九、二十二条）. https://www.iachina.cn/art/2020/9/4/art_24_104621.html

Drunk driving is a criminal offense that results in a criminal record, affecting the individual's political review and certain professional qualifications. The lines between "drinking" and "drunk driving" are determined by blood alcohol content, with specific thresholds defined by national standards. This section has not verified these specific values; do not estimate your level based on feeling. The Road Traffic Safety Law does not list a separate fine for handing a car over to someone who has been drinking. Article 99 only penalizes handing a car to someone without a license or whose license is revoked or suspended. In the 2023 opinions on drunk driving issued by the Supreme People's Court, Supreme People's Procuratorate and two ministries, there are also no specific provisions regarding providing a vehicle. The consequences in this part mainly fall under civil compensation.