Thousands unknowingly lose driver's license after medical visits

People seeking medical care for issues like high blood pressure, heart palpitations, or dizziness can come home and find that their driver’s license has been revoked. In a debate among doctors, concerns are raised about how the Swedish Transport Agency uses the increasingly common tests that detect the alcohol marker PEth.

Thousands of Swedes have had their driver’s licenses revoked after doctors performed so-called PEth blood tests on them – sometimes without their knowledge – and sent the results to the Swedish Transport Agency.

An article about a 35-year-old who was classified as an alcoholic and lost his driver’s license has sparked a debate within the medical community, with some arguing that there is not enough scientific basis to use the method to revoke driver’s licenses.

The 35-year-old man visited the doctor for a routine check-up for high blood pressure, during which a PEth test was conducted without the patient’s knowledge. The test indicated high alcohol consumption, and even after a second test, the man exceeded the limit.

At the Swedish Transport Agency, the 35-year-old’s driver’s license was immediately revoked, and the diagnosis was made without an examination. The man explained that the tests were taken after he had just returned from vacation and attended a party where more alcohol than usual was consumed, but it did not help.

Branded as an abuser

According to Skåne’s investigation, the 35-year-old is far from alone. In recent years, the Swedish Transport Agency has linked the right to have a driver’s license to the National Board of Health and Welfare’s guidelines on how much alcohol a Swede should drink.

The investigation also shows that individuals whose blood tests exceed the PEth value of 0.3 are regularly labeled as alcohol abusers – diagnoses that are also made without examination.

Condemned by an expert

Anders Helander, an analytical chemist and researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm and an expert on PEth, condemns the method.

“Abuse and addiction are clinical diagnoses that a doctor should make – but no such diagnosis can be made solely based on a single PEth value. There must be something more,” he told Skånska Dagbladet.

“PEth over 0.30 does not equal abuse; it indicates risky consumption that can be medically harmful.”

At the same time, an increasing number of driver’s licenses are being revoked on medical grounds, including PEth tests. In 2020, the number was 5,176, and in 2024, it was 7,173.

Government to review regulations

Following Skåne’s investigation, the government announced that it will conduct a review of the regulations.

“There is currently work underway at the Swedish Transport Agency to update the rules that govern the medical requirements for alcohol and drugs in driver’s license holders,” Infrastructure Minister Andreas Carlson (KD) wrote in an email to the newspaper.

According to Carlsson, the updates will clarify the rules, and the Swedish Transport Agency’s assessment is that it will lead to fewer driver’s license revocations.