PROPERTY SEARCH

Date Published: 18/10/2021

ARCHIVED - Anti start breathalysers will be mandatory in passenger vehicles in Spain

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Professional cars carrying passengers in Spain will be fitted with the anti-start devices from 2022

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Anti start breathalysers will be mandatory in passenger vehicles in Spain

In an effort to cut down on alcohol-related fatalities on Spanish roads, a reform of the current Law on Traffic and Road Safety will see the introduction of a mandatory anti-start breathalyser in all professional passenger vehicles – that is, a device capable of detecting traces of alcohol on a driver’s breath which will prevent the car from starting up if the readings are over the limit, or if the driver simply refuses to use it.

From July 6 2022, these devices will be mandatory in all vehicles used for passenger transport in Spain, but the measure is already common throughout the European Union. So successful has it been that Brussels is committed to extending its use beyond the professional field to be applicable in private vehicles also.

At the moment, the new Traffic Law in Spain stipulates that the breathalysers must be pre-installed in all passenger vehicles from 2022, but they will not enforce their use for private drivers initially. Brussels has indicated, however, that this may be coming down the line eventually.

The latest study by the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF) shows that, in 2020, alcohol was present in an alarming 48.7% of fatal road accidents, a figure that represents a 3.2% increase on 2019, even though there were far fewer cars on the road during the coronavirus pandemic.

Image: Archive

Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox

Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)