August nights in Monaco may be relaxed, but the Principality’s police are taking a less relaxed approach to motorists who have been drinking or taking drugs.
For two weeks at the height of the summer season, officers have been given additional powers to carry out preventive roadside checks anywhere across Monaco, as the government seeks to reduce the risks associated with the annual influx of visitors and a particularly active nightlife.
The operation runs from 3 to 16 August 2026, with checks authorised between 10pm and 4am.
Drivers may be stopped and tested for alcohol as well as substances classified as narcotics. Unlike checks prompted by an accident or suspicious driving, the measure allows police to conduct preventive screening during the specified hours.
Summer Crowds, Summer Risks
The timing is deliberate. August brings a familiar transformation to the Principality. Hotels, restaurants and terraces fill up, nightlife intensifies and large numbers of visitors arrive from neighbouring France and Italy, many travelling by car. That combination of heavier traffic and late-night entertainment has prompted the government to identify the first half of August as a period requiring additional vigilance.
The reasoning behind the measure is straightforward: more people, more vehicles and more opportunities for alcohol consumption can mean a greater risk of impaired drivers taking to Monaco’s already busy streets.
The checks can be carried out throughout the territory, rather than at a handful of predetermined locations.
Part of a Tougher Road-Safety Policy
The August operation is not an isolated initiative. It follows the adoption of Law No. 1.582 of 14 November 2025, which strengthened Monaco’s road-safety legislation and expanded the authorities’ powers to carry out alcohol and drug screening. The legislation strengthened penalties for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and introduced a clearer legal basis for preventive testing. Similar special operations have subsequently been authorised around periods when unusually high numbers of motorists and revellers are expected in the Principality.
Police were, for example, granted preventive testing powers over the Christmas and New Year period and again during Top Marques Monaco in May and the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix in June. The Grand Prix operation permitted checks across Monaco until as late as 5am during the main race weekend, with the government explicitly pointing to the combination of large visitor numbers, motor vehicles and festive events as an increased road-safety risk.
What Drivers Should Know
Monaco’s general legal blood-alcohol limit is 0.50 grams per litre of blood. The ministerial decisions authorising preventive checks additionally refer to a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.80 grams per litre or above in connection with the more serious offence covered by Monaco’s criminal legislation. Driving after consuming substances or plants classified as narcotics is also subject to criminal sanctions. For anyone planning a summer evening in the Principality, the practical message is considerably simpler than the legislation: decide how you are getting home before the evening begins.
Between 10pm and 4am until 16 August, a police check could be waiting anywhere in Monaco.
