The proposal was implemented with the support of PSOE, PNV, ERC and Sumar, the vote against the far-right party Vox and the abstention of the PP, i.e. 175 votes in favor, 33 against and 138 abstentions.
Last Thursday, the plenary session of the Congress of Deputies supported the PSOE initiative to ask the Spanish government to reduce the current alcohol driving rate. 0.5 grams per liter in blood at 0.2 (0.1 milligrams per liter of aspirated air) and that this rate is the same for all drivers.
The proposal was made with the support of PSOE, PNV, ERC and Sumarand voting against the extreme right-wing party Vox. The initiative, which was debated on Tuesday and voted on on Thursday, passed with 175 votes in favour, 33 against and 138 abstentions from the Popular Party.
It was voted on its own terms, as the Socialists did not agree to include the PP amendment, which called for strengthening specific campaigns on the risks of alcohol while driving, expanding awareness mechanisms and specific to define strategies for, among other things, repeat offenders.
The reduction of alcohol levels is one of the next projects of the Ministry of the Interior, as the owner has already announced. Fernando Grande-Marlaskaand the general manager of Traffic, Pere Navarroif you understand that ‘Spanish society has matured’ to accept this change and further reduce the number of road accidents.
In the justification for the proposal, the Socialists argue that even though motorists have learned to separate drinking and driving, there is still a 32.7% of drivers were killed in 2023 They had a positive blood alcohol content, according to data from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences.
According to the PSOE, research shows that from 0.3 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, and especially up to 0.5, i.e. the current maximum, the risk of an accident can be multiplied by two or even three.
During the debate on the proposal on Tuesday in Congress, the spokesman for Road Safety and deputy of Ávila, Manuel Arribas, chose to put himself in the path of the countries like Sweden or Norway who have introduced a maximum alcohol content of 0.2 grams per liter in the blood for all drivers. “And do you know what the result is? Death rates from road accidents are significantly lower than in Spain. Look, specifically in Norway 21 deaths per million inhabitants, in Sweden 22 deaths per million inhabitants. Do you know how many deaths there are per million inhabitants? million inhabitants do we have in Spain?
From the side of the People’s Partydeputy Ángel Ibáñez accused the government of “political trierism” because, as he said, the Socialist parliamentary group acts as “just a doormat for Sánchez” by urging the government to do “what has already been announced” by the minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande.
For her part, the deputy of PNV María Isabel Vaquero criticized the fact that this proposal is a measure already “announced” by Marlaska, but in any case she expressed her support for the proposal because, in her opinion, it will contribute “to overcoming the idea that moderate consumption is acceptable’. .”
By AddRep. Lander Martínez also supported the non-bill because he believes it is “an important step in the right direction,” although he cautioned “that zero rates should be the ultimate goal.”
For his part, the deputy of Vox Ángel López accused the PSOE of submitting this proposal “to divert attention” and wondered “how many” of the deputies would “test positive” for alcohol if a check were placed at the exit of the House of Commons.
Source: EITB
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
