Highway checkpoints to detect drunk drivers reappeared in the Lake Chapala region last weekend, with revisions carried out on both sides of the Guadalajara–Chapala highway at Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos and an added trap set up on the south shore highway to Morelia near the turn-off to Jocotepec.
In round three of the local Salvando Vidas (Saving Lives) spot checks, the Jalisco Traffic Department (Semov) reported that between the two points, obligatory breathalyzers tests were applied at random to 951 drivers. In conformance with state law, 18 vehicles and their drivers were detained on the basis of exams indicating excess alcohol consumption. Another 70 motorists tested positive, but still within the legal DUI limit. In addition, Semov officers issued 16 tickets for assorted traffic violations.
Statistics compiled by Semov show that highway accidents have dropped by nearly 50 percent since the Salvando Vidas program was implemented in 2013. However, agency officials now recognize that using mobile phones while driving is a risk factor equally as great as tippling before getting behind the wheel.