The increase in the number of drivers caught with alcohol this year “is one of the issues that worries the Government the most” and requires work, said the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar, this Sunday.
“We are indeed concerned about the offenses that are detected in relation to driving under the influence of alcohol,” said the official, speaking to reporters, in Évora, on the sidelines of the national ceremony on the occasion of the World Day in Remembrance of the Victims Of the road .
This is “the only indicator that, this year, it is not actually decreasing and, therefore, it is a sign and a clear demonstration that it is one of the areas in which we have to work a lot”, completed Patrícia Gaspar.
Questioned by the Lusa agency, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection commented on data from a report, from January to July, by the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), released on November 9.
The report showed that the number of drivers caught with alcohol registered “a significant increase” through July of this year, compared to the same period in 2021, with violations increasing by around 60% and arrests by almost 77%.
Driving under the influence was the only crime to see an increase in the first seven months of this year.
In Évora, the Secretary of State recalled this Sunday that the European Commission “defined 2019 as the reference year and statistical comparison”, since 2020 and 2021 are years that, due to Covid-19, present “different numbers” and ” They are not good for making comparisons”.
Source: Observadora
