Chief Inspector Rick Dowell is talking nonsense. Most eastern Euurope countries have blood Alcohol levels lower than in the UK.
The Blood Alcohol Levels
0.0 per mg � Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary
0.2 per mg � Poland
0.5 per mg - Bulgaria, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Latvia, Macedonia, Slovenia
0.8 per mg � U.K.
http://www.safetravel.co.uk/EuropeDrinkDriving Limits.html
"Drinking and driving is never a good idea, period. But it becomes especially bad when you go abroad. Not only are you unfamiliar with the roads and driving customs, but driving on the other side of the road and the different speed limits are experiences that need complete concentration. Those factors all add up. But there's one more to take into consideration - the legal blood alcohol limit for driving. Compared to Britain, most European countries have very low limits, or in some instances absolutely zero tolerance."