From 6pm on Friday evening until 6am on Monday morning the Federal Highways Police will be holding its 15th “Weekend without alcohol behind the wheel”. During the forthcoming weekend the number of roadside checks carried out on drivers to ensure that they have not been drinking and driving will be greater than normal. The last time the police staged a “Weekend without alcohol behind the wheel” 2.15% of drivers tested were over the limit.
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Extra checks on drink driving all weekend
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The Federal Highways Police will be collaborating with at least 120 local police services. Between 6pm on Friday evening and 6am on Monday morning they will carry out extra breath tests on motorists. By announcing the “Weekend without alcohol behind the wheel” in advance the police hope that the number of motorists caught driving over the limit will be down on what it was during previous such weekends. The last time a “Weekend without alcohol behind the wheel” was organised in June 2022, 2.15% of motorists tested positive for excess alcohol. 6 months earlier this was 2.29%
There is still a need for awareness campaigns. In the first 9 months of 2022 there were 3,138 road accidents in which (one of) the motorist(s) involved was under the influence of drink. Figures from the road safety institute VIAS show that this is the highest number since 2016. During the first 6 months of the year 22,779 motorists (129 per dag) were found to be over the limit when they were breathalysed.