The Government Delegation in Galicia reports that tomorrow, Monday, a Special Traffic Campaign will begin with the aim of reducing the consumption of alcohol and drugs at the wheel. Until next Sunday, August 25, the agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard will intensify the controls of alcohol and drug presence on the roads of Galicia. In this initiative, the DGT also encourages collaboration with the municipalities of the four provinces to carry out tests in urban areas, with special emphasis on the areas with the greatest influx of tourists and popular festivals.
Alcohol is present as a concurrent or causative factor in one third of fatal accidents. Its presence in driving, depending on its rate, multiplies between 2 and 15 the risk of suffering an accident. The only safe rate is 0.0%. Not only is it related to a greater accident, but it also has an impact on a greater mortality, being a factor linked to a worse prognosis in the injuries suffered.
According to the data of the National Institute of Toxicology referred to last year at the national level, of the 862 drivers who died in 2023 in a traffic accident and underwent autopsy and toxicological analysis, a total of 462 drivers (53.6%) tested positive in the toxicological results of alcohol, drugs of abuse and/or psychodrugs, alone or in combination. In these results, alcohol remains the most detected substance among the deceased drivers, with 32.7%, followed by cocaine and cannabis, and thirdly, psychoactive drugs.
Results of last year's campaign in Galicia
In the same special campaign carried out last year between August 14 and 20, the Civil Guard carried out 35,961 blood alcohol checks in Galicia, of which 538 were positive. It also carried out 492 drug checks, with 244 positives. In addition, 26 drivers were instructed to proceed with their subsequent transfer to the judicial authority for offences against road safety.