By Paulo Silvestre paulo.silvestre@theresidentgroup.com
Hundreds of good drivers were rewarded with tickets for the Le Mans Series event, which took place at the weekend at the Algarve Motor Park.
Drivers were stopped on July 15 near Paderne in the presence of the Faro Civil Governor Isilda Gomes and Miguel Praia, who rides for the race track’s Parkalgar racing team.
The initiative is part of a campaign by the Faro Civil Government and the Algarve Motor Park, whereby GNR police distributed around 200 tickets for the weekend’s event to drivers who had not violated the Highway Code.
“The prevention of road accidents is crucial. For this we must use every means possible, including repressive measures to punish those who do not comply with the Highway Code, but also rewards for those who follow the rules. These should hopefully encourage drivers to maintain good behaviour on the roads,” said Isilda Gomes. “We should all contribute to reducing the death toll on our roads.”
She added: “One of the ways of getting involved is by educating our youngsters, who will be the future drivers, about road safety.”
Isilda Gomes praised the commitment of the management of the Algarve Motor Park and the active cooperation of the PSP and GNR police in promoting this unique initiative.
Meanwhile, Faro Civil Government has launched a campaign to encourage residents to drive carefully when going away on holidays.
With the support of the National Road Safety Authority (ANSR), the campaign will run until September 15, with various initiatives in conjunction with the GNR and PSP police. “Summer time is a period when drivers should adopt safe behaviour, respecting the Highway Code, so that, together, we can eradicate bad driving and make our roads safe,” said Isilda Gomes.
One of the initiatives on the A22, near the petrol station in Loulé, saw the GNR police, Isilda Gomes and Paulo Marques, director of the ANSR, distribute leaflets appealing to motorists for full compliance with road rules.
Isilda Gomes also attended the 29th International Motorcycle Meeting in Faro, held last weekend, when she congratulated the contribution of bikers towards good road practice.
Addressing the bikers, she said: “Your behaviour on our roads in recent years has been exceptional, contributing not only to the reduction in traffic accidents but also by helping make the general public aware of road rules,” she said.
Despite efforts by the authorities to alert citizens of the importance of safe driving, last weekend was marked by a number of fatal road accidents, including one which killed a well known British businessman in the Algarve.
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