A police officer carrying out an alcohol breathing test. (source: TASR)
An information campaign to stop drink-driving is to be launched after police said there had been a rise in the number of people caught drink-driving in Slovakia this year.
In the first nine months of 2022, 8,068 alcohol tests on drivers were positive - the highest number for the same period since 2015.
Drink-drive killings shock society
At the beginning of October, a drunk driver ploughed his car into a bus stop in Bratislava city centre, killing five people. The incident shocked Slovakia and prompted a debate about the role of alcohol in society.
"The consequences of the accident at the Zochova bus stop in Bratislava are traumatic for all of society and it is unthinkable that it should happen again," Interior Minister Roman Mikulec (OĽaNO) said at a press conference as the latest police data was revealed.
Meanwhile, Tomáš Vrábel, Director of the Department of Traffic Police said that of the 9,073 traffic accidents registered in the first nine months of the year, 1,069 accidents - around 12 percent - were caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol. He added the proportion of accidents caused by drink drivers had not changed in the last five years.
Measures proposed
The Interior Ministry's new information campaign called "Alcohol behind the wheel can kill", which will involve the distribution of leaflets, videos on social media, and short media clips screened at petrol stations, will run until the end of the year.
In a recent survey by the AKO agency almost 14 percent admitted that they have sometimes driven a car under the influence of alcohol.
Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry has proposed the introduction of a range of measures to tackle dangerous driving, including a licence points system and the installation of stationary speed cameras in cities and towns and potential six-month driving bans for speeding.
The ministry said it was also in talks with the Justice Ministry about other sanctions for dangerous drivers, such as vehicle confiscation.
