Palma.The campaign was launched last Saturday in Calle Joan Miró in Palma, sources confirmed yesterday. Patrols stopped traffic and breathalysed drivers on six separate occasions lasting between 45 minutes and an hour throughout the night. Vehicles were selected at random from passing traffic, resulting in 39 cars being stopped in all. Of all the drivers subjected to breath tests, six proved positive after gauges showed they had drunk more than the legal limit and a seventh was found not fit to be behind the wheel after having taken cocaine.
The six drivers who failed the alcohol breath test had positive readings of between 0.25 and 0.60 and were fined 500 euros each, with three points taken off their licenses. Because the positive readings didn't exceed 0.60, none of the drivers was arrested but their vehicles were impounded by police until someone who could show they were not under the influence of alcohol came to drive the car away.
Five separate charges were brought against other drivers for breaking the highway code and on five occasions after vehicle searches, people were booked for carrying narcotics in their cars.
The controls in Calle Joan Miró, claimed security forces, have been started for a reason because drunk driving had become increasingly noticeable over Friday and Saturday nights.
Just the previous weekend, 17 people had been arrested for drunk driving by police in Palma, some of whom had been found with more than the 0.60 alcohol benchmark in their blood. Of these 17 drivers, nine were stopped in Calle Joan Miró. A police spokesman said controls are to be stepped up in other areas of the city as well.
No comments
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
Currently there are no comments.