Tránsito Declares War On
Drunk Drivers
Tránsito officials will
be on duty day and night
between now and New
Years in a war to combat
drunk driving and
speeding on the nation's
roads, in the hopes of
reducing the accident
and mortality rate for
the season.
The ministra de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT),
Karla González,
announced yesterday that
all 840 Tránsitos
(traffic officials) will
be on duty all day and
night during the coming
weeks with road checks
to detect drunk drivers
and not just in the
evening as has been the
custom.
In addition, González
said that the Tránsitos
will have additional
support this year from
officials of the Conavi,
who will be riding buses
and taxis undercover to
detect bus and taxi
drivers who are drunk
behind the wheel while
on the job.
In the last several
months a number of bus
and taxi drivers have
been pulled off the
road, with passengers in
their vehicles, for
being drunk behind the
wheel.
The aim of the MOPT is
to be tough on drunk
drivers, with special
emphasis on those
providing public
transport.
The Policía de Tránsito
informed that since
November 30 they have
alreay issued 34 tickets
to drunk drivers (over
0.99 blood alcohol
content), 39 in
pre-drunk (between 0.50
and 0.99) and
confiscated 40 vehicles.
And this is only in five
days.
The police presence will
be felt on all major
routes and beginning
Christmas day will be
intensified primarily on
all major routes to and
from the beaches and
resorts.
In total, the Policía de
Tránsito will be staging
188 planned stop checks
for drunk driving and
540 for speeding, as
they are the two main
causes of accidents and
deaths on the road.
Between January and
November, the Policía de
Tránsito says 308 people
lost their lives on the
road, not counting those
who were injured and
then died in hospital
later.
Last December 37 people
died on the roads. The
Policía de Tránsito and
the MOPT want to make
sure that number is
lowered this year. |
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