If you're traveling to Serbia - keep this in mind: fines for drunk driving are serious. They reach 140,000 dinars (around 1,200 euros), plus a driving ban and possible jail time. For the modern tourist from Macedonia, that means: one beer before getting behind the wheel can be more than a mistake - it can be a disaster for the budget and for the trip.

The scale of fines by blood alcohol concentration:

— 0.51 - 0.80 mg/ml: a fine of at least 10,000 dinars, plus at least 3 months of driving ban.

— 0.81 - 1.20 mg/ml: a fine of up to 30,000 dinars, or up to 30 days in jail.

— Above 2.00 mg/ml: 30 to 60 days in jail, plus mandatory community service.

It gets more interesting: refusing the breathalyser costs 100,000-120,000 dinars and a mandatory 15 days in jail. You can't dodge the test „on principle" - that's an automatic penalty. The police have the right to make a mandatory roadside test. Refuse - you go to jail.

For the Balkans, this is a shift. Serbia has stepped up its road controls in recent years - more patrols, more hours on the ground, more cooperation with customs. Which means: a Macedonian driving toward Belgrade thinking „one beer half an hour before the border - nobody will catch me" - might be in for a surprise.

The solution is simple. Taxi. Public transport. Designated driver. Or - if you're already on the road - take the alcohol seriously. One 0.5 litre beer less than two hours old means: you may already be above 0.5 mg/ml. That means 10,000 dinars (85 euros), plus a driving ban. One beer.

To the Balkan drivers who always assumed „nobody will catch me anywhere" - that era is over. With the new controls and the new fines, „two beers and a coffee" can cost a month's salary.