All this week, there will be a focus on one of the main contributors to road traffic incidents, alcohol and drugs.
The Guardia Civil Traffic police will be out in force with plans to conduct at least 25,000 alcohol and drugs tests each day until Sunday.
The main goal is to detect and deal with habitual offenders, who get behind the wheel on a regular basis whilst having consumed alcohol or drugs. The latest figures extracted from the most recent data available suggests that there may be around 12,000 drivers who met this continually dangerous criteria.
So far this year, more than 84,000 drivers have tested positive, risking not only their own but the lives of many innocent victims who all too often leave the scene of the carnage facing a life dealing with serious injuries and, on too numerous occasions, leaving the friends and families of loved ones having to deal with their death.
According to the annual report of the National Institute of Toxicology, the 39.09% of deceased drivers displayed the presence of alcohol or drugs in their blood. The figure rises to 40% when pedestrians are analysed.
Even the smallest amount of alcohol or drugs can affect driving ability and so, despite Spain having considerably lower maximum limits than countries such as the UK, the best advice is always zero consumption before getting behind the wheel.
