Well under 1% of drivers stopped for breathalyser tests in the Greater Athens region over the past week were found above the legal limit, police said Monday, as a more than year-old road safety campaign continued to bear fruit.
A police statement said that officers stopped a total 19,764 people to verify their blood alcohol content, and 143 were found to be legally drunk – 0.72% of the total. Out of that number, 17 had had so much to drink that they were arrested.
Over the same period, the police statement said, 6,421 other traffic code infringements were recorded and fines levied, including for bikers not wearing crash helmets and motorists speeding, talking on their phones, running red lights or driving without a license.
The latter offense is usually connected with drivers who have had their license temporarily confiscated due to a previous infringement, and not people who have never had formal permits to drive.
Police launched a sweeping crackdown in most forms of dangerous driving over a year ago, as the conservative government moved to toughen the highway code in a nationwide bid to boost road safety.
