30/07/2013 00:00
TW
0

Palma.—The Traffic department of the Guardia Civil said yesterday that whereas there had been 1'863 fines slapped on drivers who were over the limit when tested at roadside controls in the first six months of 2010, the figure has shot up to 2'850 recorded during the same period this year
But the Guardia Civil said that drink driving was not the only reason that fines had been on the increase to such an extent in the Balearics. Apparently there have been 2'257 cases of people being caught speaking on their mobile phones whilst driving in the first half of this year. The figure is 20.11 percent higher when compared to the first six months of 2010.

Seat belts
Even more numerous were the number of people caught driving without a seat belt ... 3'219 in the first half of this year, 16.8 percent more than in the first six months of 2010.

There are still people who have not accepted the risks of riding a motorcycle without a helmet. The increase in fines in this sector was 13.3 percent for the first half of this year compared with 2010 ... up from 142 to 161.

Meanwhile, there has been a drop in the number of people being caught speeding through radar units, down by 15.5 percent in the first half of this year to 4'164 from 4'907 in the first six months of 2010.

Another area where there are less fines being imposed is for incorrect seating for children inside cars. There were 206 people charged with not having sufficient security seating for children last year but just 99 in the early part of 2011.

It would seem that drivers are tending to ensure using their indicators as the number of fines for improper signalling was down 29 percent in the first six months of this year, from 380 to 270 recorded in the first half of 2010.

When all the increases and decreases in different sectors were taken into the account, the Guardia Civil Traffic department confirmed that it has imposed 7.32 percent more fines in the first half of this year than the same period in 2010. So far this year, 25 people have lost their lives in accidents in the Balearics, 8 less than in the first half of 2010. Of those who have died this year, 23 lost their lives on main roads out of town.