A state legislator has issued a plea to residents of Guadalajara not to post messages on social media informing motorists of the location of the nightly “Salvando Vidas” checkpoints designed to trap drunk drivers.
Jonadab Martínez urged citizens to have a social conscience and desist from helping inebriated drivers avoid the “toritos,” as the checkpoints are colloquially referred to.
Martínez explained that the measure isn’t simply a way of collecting money from fines is to prevent accidents and fatalities.
While the program that started in 2013 has been a success and resulted in less accidents and fatalities provoked by drunk drivers, Martínez fears that the figures may start to increase again unless these social media “warning groups” are curtailed in some way. The checkpoints are installed in different spots each night – mostly on major avenues – but remain in place for several hours, giving time for word of their location to be spread quickly on social media.