School Bus Driver Caught Five Times Over the Limit

The driver of a school bus carrying 42 high school students was arrested by the Santomera (Murcia) Local Police on Tuesday, after he was found to be almost five-times over the permitted alcohol limit.

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As part of the week-long campaign focussing on school transport, the local police are supporting the Guardia Civil in testing the legalities on school transport.

The arrest occurred just after 14:00 on Tuesday afternoon when the 58-year-old driver was carrying the students between the two educational institutions of Octavio Carpena and Poeta Julián Andúgar, where he was going to pick up more students at the end of their class.

A police patrol participating in the joint special campaign suspected the driver had been drinking when they were carrying out the routine checks. The officers believed that the driver smelt of alcohol and was exhibiting other bodily signs of having consumed alcohol.

Having conducted a breathalyzer test on the driver, the results showed an alcohol level of 0.67 milligrams per litre of exhaled air, when the limit for professional drivers is 0.15.

The driver was arrested and released later on Tuesday with a summons to appear in the Murcia courts on Wednesday facing a quick trial for a crime against road safety.