The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced on Thursday that “serious” work was underway to reduce the current rates of alcohol driving and considered that Spanish society is ripe to address this issue. Although the minister did not give further details, sources from his ministry assured that the decrease in the current rate of 0.5 grams per liter of blood at 0.20 or from 0.25 milligrams per liter of inhaled air to 0.10 for all drivers.
“The National Road Safety Council has told us about the need to modify and lower the alcohol levels and we are working seriously on it,” Marlaska said during an informative breakfast at the Nueva Economía Forum. The reduction of alcohol levels is a proposal from victims and road safety associations that the Ministry has assumed and that is included in the draft reform of the General Traffic Regulations regarding vulnerable users, specifically in the modification of article 20.
“In more than half of the accidents, the element of alcohol and other drugs appears as a determining factor,” recalled Marlaska, who believes that Spanish society is ripe to address this issue. The minister explained that surveillance is being intensified, so that this year there will be 6 million alcohol tests and 120,000 drug tests. The previous proposal by the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT) to reduce the rates of alcohol while driving, included in the draft amendment to the regulation, It was aimed only at professional drivers.and novels.
