POLICE are to ramp up drink-driving checks on Andalusian roads over the Christmas holidays, authorities have warned.
The Andalusian government said it would set up round-the-clock checkpoints on all regional roads, towns and cities throughout the festive period, in a bid to discourage drivers who have consumed alcohol or drugs from getting behind the wheel.
Last year, more than 1,500 people in Spain died in road accidents, with drink-driving accounting for 12% of roughly 100,000 incidents in 2024.
Andalusian government spokesperson Pedro Fernandez said that when sweeping road checks were last carried out in August, a total of 726 drivers tested positive for alcohol or drugs – around 2% of more than 35,000 tests conducted.
“It is a risk for all motorists,” Fernandez added.
The move comes at a time of heightened risk for drink-driving accidents as Spain prepares to wind down for the Christmas holidays.
Of the 228 people who died in road accidents over the summer alone, nearly 50% had consumed alcohol, drugs, or psychiatric medications, according to government figures.
Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, said he hoped a new blood-alcohol limit of 0.2% for drivers would come into force this year.
“This cannot be delayed; it is a matter of public health and safety, and we all need it to become a reality now,” he told Parliament.
The current legal limit remains 0.5% blood-alcohol for most drivers, with lower thresholds for novice and professional motorists.
Parliament has already approved a proposal to lower the limit to 0.2%, but the new threshold is not expected to become law until later next year as part of a wider package of traffic reforms.
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