Police to put a cork in festive drink-driving

20 December 2004

MADRID-  Spain is to stage a drink-drive crackdown on the roads over Christmas and New Year.

Pere Navarro, the director-general of Spain’s traffic authorities, said between 24-26 December, 31 December and 2 January, and for Los Reyes de Mago (or Epiphany) on 5 January, there will be a higher number of traffic police on the roads.

Authorities are to target drink-drivers, those speeding and others who do not use safety-belts in a bid to lower the death rate over the festive period.

They will carry out 20,000 drink-drive tests across Spain each day during this period, when 23 million people are expected to take to the road for their Christmas break.

In the past week, between 10-18 December, police carried out 209,325 tests, of which some 3,630 drivers were over the alcohol limit.

Navarro said: “These campaigns give a true reflection of the levels of  law-breaking.”

Last year, 195 people were killed on the roads, a sharp fall compared with the levels of fatal crashes in the 1980s when up to 300 would die on average each year.

Apart from Guardia Civil and police, 18 helicopters will be used in the Christmas campaign.

For more information call 900 123 505.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news