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Nearly half of the drivers killed on roads in the Region of Murcia in 2024 had been drinking or taking drugs, according to worrying new figures released by the Provincial Head of Traffic, Virginia Jerez. Speaking at the launch of a new safety campaign this week, Jerez confirmed that 19 of the 39 motorists who died in road accidents last year tested positive for alcohol or drugs.“

 

Thirty of those fatalities happened on intercity roads, and 15 of them, that’s half, had consumed these substances,” she explained. “On urban roads, nine drivers lost their lives, with four of them (44%) also testing positive.”

 

The announcement came as the Traffic Department rolled out a special control and monitoring campaign across the region, running until Sunday December 21, to reduce alcohol and drug use behind the wheel. “This monitoring and enforcement campaign is essential to help reduce high-risk behaviours among road users,” said Jerez. “These drivers endanger not only their own lives, but those of everyone else on the road.”

 

To support the effort, 232 members of the Guardia Civil’s Traffic Group will carry out around 6,700 roadside tests this month. Local police forces across the region’s 45 municipalities have also been invited to join the initiative, setting up controls within their own towns and cities.

 

Since 2020, police forces across the region have received thousands of new tools to support road safety efforts, including 27 evidential breathalysers, 45 digital units, and 4,745 drug detection kits, with 1,085 delivered in 2025 alone.

 

The campaign follows a series of worrying test results gathered earlier this year. Between July 14 and 20, the Guardia Civil carried out nearly 10,000 alcohol checks on intercity roads, with 122 drivers testing positive. Of 368 drug tests carried out, 124 were also positive, representing over a third of those stopped. From January to November, more than 174,000 alcohol tests were recorded across the region, with a 1.2% positive rate, while 33% of drug tests came back positive.

 

These figures are part of the Global Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030, which aims to halve traffic fatalities by the end of the decade through tighter enforcement and safer driving habits. As Jerez reminded, “Establishing blood alcohol concentration limits is one of the fundamental measures to prevent dangerous driving.”

 

With the Christmas season now underway, and many celebrations already filling calendars, authorities are urging everyone to take extra care on the road. Enjoy the festivities, they say, but don’t let a moment’s bad decision turn celebration into tragedy.

 

 

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