According to the Secretary of State for Civil Protection, Patrícia Gaspar: “We are concerned about the infractions that are detected in relation to driving under the influence of alcohol”.

This is “the only indicator that, this year, is not actually decreasing and, therefore, it is a sign and a clear demonstration that it is one of the areas in which we have to work hard”, added Patrícia Gaspar.

Questioned by the Lusa agency, the Secretary of State for Civil Protection commented on data from a report, from January to July, by the National Highway Safety Authority (ANSR), released on November 9.

The report showed that the number of drivers with excess alcohol registered “a significant increase” until July this year, compared to the same period in 2021, with violations rising by around 60% and arrests by almost 77%.

Driving under the influence of alcohol was the only offense to register an increase in the first seven months of this year.

“What we understand is that there is a specific issue here with alcohol, which effectively has to be worked on and it is in this field that we are working, including with the Ministry of Justice”, she stressed.