Nine people have died on Portuguese roads and 215 drivers have been arrested for drunk driving in just four days, according to figures released by police authorities as part of the ongoing holiday season road safety operation.
Between Saturday and Tuesday (December 27-30), the PSP and GNR police forces recorded 1,259 road accidents, which also resulted in 27 serious injuries and 356 minor injuries.
The nationwide operation will continue until Sunday, January 4.
The fatal accidents occurred across several regions, including Lisbon, Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Santarém, Beja and Braga.
The fatalities recorded by PSP police resulted from accidents that occurred in Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, and Benfica, in the Lisbon area.
Meanwhile, the fatal accidents recorded by the country’s National Republican Guard (GNR) occurred on Motorway 1 in Alcanena (Santarém), on National Road (EN) 9 in Torres Vedras (Lisbon), EN 15 in Lixa (Porto), on EN 111 in Montemor-o-Velho (Coimbra), on EN 230 in Águeda (Aveiro), on EN 255-1 in Sobral da Adiça (Beja) and in Praça da Independência, in Castelo de Paiva (Aveiro).
The GNR stopped and checked more than 34,000 drivers, identifying 205 motorists under the influence of alcohol. Of these, 134 were arrested for having blood alcohol levels of 1.2 g/l or higher, while 67 people were detained for driving without a licence. The same police force also recorded 5,558 traffic offences, with speeding accounting for nearly 1,000 cases. Other violations included failure to wear seat belts, mobile phone use while driving, lack of vehicle inspections and missing insurance.
A further 258 arrests were carried out by PSP police over the same period, including 81 for drunk driving and 52 for driving without a valid licence. Officers also made arrests for theft, robbery and drug trafficking, and seized firearms, dangerous weapons and thousands of illegal fireworks.
Authorities have been urging people to act responsibly behind the wheel in order to avoid further tragedies during what should be a joyous and fun-filled season.
