Palma.The DGT, Director General for Traffic, yesterday launched a major clampdown on people driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
According to the DGT, Spain is one of the largest consumers in the world of cocaine and cannabis.
Apparently, 19.4 percent of drivers have been caught under the influence of some kind of illegal substance while three out of every 100, have been stopped while driving under the influence of an explosive cocktail of drugs and alcohol.
Hence this operation which will last until July 15 but will not be the last of a series of summer crackdowns.
The DGT warned that checkpoints are going to be thrown up throughout the day and night over the next few weeks.
Apparently, drugs are the cause of one in four road deaths and consuming illegal substances raises the chance of having an accident between two and seven fold, depending on the type of drug consumed and the amount.
What is more, according to the National Institute for Forensic Science and Toxicology, 45 percent of fatal accident victims on the roads in Spain last year tested positive for either alcohol, drugs or psychotropics.
The drug tests are very simple and will be carried out on the spot, just like breath tests and the saliva tests will show almost immediately if drugs have been consumed and how recently.
In the event of drugs being consumed within the past few hours, the driver will have his or her keys confiscated pending a more in-depth second test and the fines will be the same, 500 euros upwards and the loss of at least six points.
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