[WATCH] Don’t drink if you’re driving

The government and other agencies have launched the annual ‘don’t drink and drive’ campaign aimed at motorists and the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol.

As the festive season kicks in and related activities are already underway, the police force will be increasing its spot checks around Malta and Gozo. Breathalyser tests will be held throughout the two islands and not focused exclusively on Paceville and Bugibba.

The risk of accidents increases when motorists are under the influence of alcohol, mainly because motorists suffer from blurred vision, drive faster and have difficulty in calculating distances.

So far 2014, five of ten fatal traffic accidents were pedestrians. In 2013, only two out of 18 traffic fatalities were pedestrians. The authorities urged motorists to be both careful for themselves and for others.

Over the past two years, an average of 15,000 collisions were registered on a daily basis.

The campaign promoting the message of zero tolerance to driving under the influence of alcohol is being managed by the parliamentary secretariat for health, the Health promotion Department, the Police, Civil Protection, Mater Dei Hospital, Transport Malta, and Malta Touring Club.