Andorra la VellaThe police are launching this Thursday, December 12 at seven in the morning a new campaign against driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs that will last for nearly three weeks coinciding with the Christmas and New Year’s holidays year
The specific controls, whose main objective is the prevention and reduction of traffic accidents, will end on Wednesday, January 1 at seven in the afternoon.
The campaign follows the action plan set by the Ministry of Justice and Interior, at the proposal of the police, with the aim of improving road safety and reducing the number of accidents. The fact of announcing them responds to the desire to deter and prevent these risky behaviors. The controls, therefore, want to continue to raise public awareness of the dangers of driving after drinking, both for the drivers themselves and for the rest of the road network users.
The police remind that, in application of a ruling on the margins of error of breathalyzers, the arrest of a person who drives under the influence of alcohol is carried out from a rate equal to or greater than 0, 87 grams of alcohol per liter of blood and 0.57 for professional drivers. Although between 0.81 and 0.86, in the case of non-professional drivers, and between 0.51 and 0.56, in the case of professionals, no arrest is made, the police will sanction or refer the file to the Batllia depending on the symptomatology and the circumstances of the control.
With regard to the administrative route, drivers of vehicles with a blood alcohol level equal to or higher than 0.57 and up to 0.80 will be penalized. In the case of professional drivers, the penalty will be set from a result equal to or greater than 0.02 and up to 0.50.
The margin of error does not apply if the blood alcohol test is carried out. In this case, the penalty limits are 0.80 and 0.50.
The administrative offense can include the suspension of the driver’s license for a maximum of two months, in addition to a penalty of 400 euros. The same consequences would apply to non-professional drivers.
Exceeding the limits of criminal responsibility can mean, in addition to arrest, a fine of 1,200 to 6,000 euros, two years in prison, the withdrawal of the driver’s license for up to four years and the disqualification from exercising the office or position also for a maximum of four years for professionals. For non-professional drivers, it could lead to a fine of 300 to 3,000 euros, a prison sentence or arrest for up to one year, and the withdrawal of the driver’s license for up to three years.
Driving under the influence of drugs has the same criminal consequences as alcohol at the wheel and, therefore, the Police will also arrest drivers who test positive for narcotics.
Likewise, all drivers who refuse to take the test are arrested. In this case, the prison sentence or arrest can be up to one year, the fine can range from 600 to 3,000 euros – from 1,200 to 6,000 euros for professional drivers – and it can entail the withdrawal of the permit for up to three years, four if the driver is professional.
The Corps reminds that drivers of bicycles, scooters or other personal mobility vehicles (VMP) must also respect the Traffic Code and are not exempt from the administrative and criminal consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs . Therefore, if they exceed the criminal limit, they must be arrested.
The police call, once again, for the responsibility of the public and advocate for the zero consumption of alcoholic beverages and drugs to avoid having to regret personal damage that may be irreparable.