Almaty blogger Sanat Auyeltai decided to find out with a breathalyzer whether it is safe to drive after drinking kumys. For his experiment, he chose a popular variety of Bashkir kumys known for its higher strength, according to infohub.kz.
After drinking 1 liter of the fermented milk beverage, the blogger began blowing into the breathalyzer and checked his alcohol level every few hours. The results were unexpected.
The device recorded the following readings: 1.91 promille after 1 hour; 1.84 after 1.5 hours; 1.07 after 2 hours; 0.48 after 3 hours; 0.29 after 4 hours; 0.13 after 5 hours. Only after 7 hours did the breathalyzer show 0 promille.
"This is my body. Your body may react differently to kumys. In general, no matter how many grams of kumys you drink, never get behind the wheel," the blogger advised.
What are the penalties for drinking and driving?
Kazakhstan enforces a "zero tolerance" policy for alcohol behind the wheel: any alcohol in a driver's system can be grounds for punishment. So it does not matter whether it was kumys, alcohol, or a medication.
Driving under the influence carries 15 days of arrest and a 7-year license revocation. If the violation leads to a traffic accident, the arrest term increases to 20 days.
Earlier, Kursiv Auto reported that over the past three years, the Almaty Mental Health Center had not recorded any cases where kumys or shubat was the cause of intoxication. However, the result can be influenced by the quality of the drink and how it is prepared. According to a narcologist, if intoxication is suspected, a final conclusion is made after laboratory testing of blood for ethanol.