The Civil Traffic Guard has intercepted the driver of an articulated truck – made up of a tractor unit and a semi-trailer – who was traveling on the A-31 near the province of Albacete with an alcohol level that exceeded nine times the maximum allowed. for professional drivers.
The agents intercepted the driver during a surveillance service. As reported by the worthy in a statement, the vehicle was traveling in a zigzag, endangering the rest of the road users.
For this reason, and adopting appropriate safety and protection measures, the agents managed to stop the driver and managed to get the trailer off the road, without any accident occurring. At the time of identifying the driver, they realized that he showed clear symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol. Thus, they performed the corresponding tests, which returned a positive result of 1.38 mg/l. This figure is nine times higher than the maximum rate authorized for professional drivers.
For this reason, the Civil Guard immobilized the vehicle. Likewise, the man, 33 years old and resident in the province of Murcia, has been investigated for an alleged crime against road safety and can be punished with a prison sentence of three to six months, a fine of six to twelve months or with work for the benefit of the community from 31 to 90 days and, in any case, with the deprivation of the right to drive motor vehicles and mopeds for a period of more than one and up to four years.
In our country, testing positive for alcohol or drugs, depending on the level of excess, can lead to a financial penalty, the withdrawal of points from the license and, in the most extreme cases, prison sentences. The Road Safety Law establishes that for drivers in general, from 0.25 mg/l of alcohol in inhaled air is a positive test; This figure is reduced to 0.15 mg/l for beginners and professionals. Up to 0.50 mg/l (0.30 mg/l for beginners and professionals), the fine reaches 500 euros and 4 points. Exceeding 0.50 mg/l means 1,000 euros and six points (the same for positive drug tests).
Chapter IV of Title XVII of the Penal Code classifies crimes against traffic safety and establishes the aforementioned penalty for driving with excess alcohol (more than 0.60 mg/l) or under the influence of drugs. On the other hand, refusing to take the control test means imprisonment from six months to one year and deprivation of the right to drive from one to four years.
Data collected by the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences of Spain indicates that more than half of the drivers who died in our country last year tested positive for alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs. This is indicated in the 2022 Report on Toxicological Findings in Fatal Traffic Accident Victims. This is the worst figure recorded in the historical series since the aforementioned Ministry of Justice body began collecting them in 1992. This increase confirms an upward trend in the last five years: in 2017, 42.1% tested positive ; in 2018, 43.4%; in 2019, 45.5%; in 2020, 48.7%; and in 2021, 49.4% (until now this was the highest percentage).
Despite awareness campaigns about the danger of getting behind the wheel while drinking, there are still too many people who ignore the recommendations and put their own lives and those of others at risk.