Not a single one of the drivers suspected of getting behind the wheel of their car drunk failed a breathalyser test on Christmas Eve, the Times of Malta has learnt.
Police sources said that over 30 breathalyser tests were carried out on Monday night during roadside inspections, yet none of the drivers tested were found to have exceeded the alcohol limit.
In recent years, the police have attempted to crack down on drink-driving abuse throughout the year but especially throughout the festive season in December.
According to the law, drivers of private cars are considered to be under the influence of alcohol if a breathalyser test detects 22 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath or more.
The sources said that this year, the police noted an increase in the number of people who opted for the designated driver system whereby one person opts not to consume any alcohol to be able to drive others.
Enforcement activity intensified
The only people who failed the breathalyser test on the night were two drivers who were involved in traffic accidents and tested positive to alcohol.
According to a statement by the police issued on Christmas Day, there were some 350 vehicles that were inspected during traffic control operations.
Several people were stopped and fined for traffic regulation breaches that included driving without a valid licence, driving without insurance, driving without a seat belt and an invalid car licence.
Inspections were carried out in several localities all over the island, including Żabbar, Żejtun, Marsa, St Paul’s Bay, Buġibba, St Julian’s and Sliema.
The number of cars that were stopped for checks on Christmas Eve this year was almost half that on the same night last year, when 755 cars were stopped and 47 people booked for various contraventions.
Meanwhile, a Transport Malta spokesman said that the watchdog’s enforcement officers manned “a number of roadblocks in strategic locations” during the festive period, stopping over 300 commercial vehicles to ensure these were “appropriately licensed”.
“Transport Malta intensifies its enforcement activity during this time to help ensure a safer fleet in a period when more people rely on taxis, cabs and minibuses for their transport needs. The officials distributed disposable breathalysers to help raise awareness on the dangers of drink-driving, however they are precluded by law from administering breathalyser tests,” the spokesman said.
At the launch of an awareness-raising campaign aimed at curbing drink-driving during the festive season, Public Health superintendent Charmaine Gauci noted that an average of five people were admitted to hospital every day as a result of road accidents.
Alcohol consumption and drugs were among the main causes of such accidents.