The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) reported that during a special surveillance campaign carried out from August 19 to 25, an average of 543 drivers were detected daily driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
Just as it sounds, according to what was communicated last Wednesday by the department headed by Pere Navarresethe majority of these drivers (89.3%) were identified in preventive controls, while the rest were intercepted for infractions, accidents or presenting obvious symptoms.
What figures have been revealed by the DGT controls?
In total, the Traffic Division of the Civil Guard carried out controls on 225,946 drivers, 14,000 more than in the previous year’s campaign, of which 3,801 tested positive for alcohol or drugs. According to the DGT: «Preventive controls are a key tool to detect drivers who put their safety and that of others at risk by driving under the influence of these substances.«.
During the seven-day campaign, 221,752 breathalyzer tests were carried out, with 2,156 positive results. Of these, 1,930 were detected in preventive controls, 108 after committing offences, 107 involved in accidents and 11 due to clear symptoms of consumption. 221 drivers were prosecuted for exceeding 0.60 mg/l of alcohol in exhaled air, while 12 refused to take the tests and were also placed at the disposal of the authorities.
As for drugs, of the 4,194 tests carried out, 1,645 were positive. Among them, 1,466 were detected in preventive controls, 104 for violations and 75 for accidents. Six drivers were charged with driving under the influence of toxic, narcotic or psychotropic substances.
The most widely used drug remains cannabis (1,203 cases), followed by cocaine (565 cases) and then amphetamines (233 cases). The Road Safety Prosecutor’s Office, in its 2023 annual report, revealed that 50,071 sentences were handed down related to driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
The DGT He stressed that these campaigns not only seek to identify those who break the law, but also to raise awareness among drivers. On this occasion, 4,570 drivers were detected with alcohol levels below the legal limit, the majority of which were intercepted in preventive controls (4,216), while others were detected due to violations, accidents or symptoms.
In addition, the DGT He points out that alcohol remains the second most common factor in fatal accidents, accounting for 26% of fatalities.
