The number of speeding vehicles caught by the traffic police has risen 10% in a year, leading to an increase in speed control actions as from this week.
According to figures from GNR released today, from the beginning of the year and until Sunday, vehicles on Portugal’s roads were stopped 6.5 million times - 135,213 of them for speeding.
The percentage of drivers caught speeding is but a fraction of those whose daily mission it is to endanger other motorists and themselves by treating the country’s roads an extended racetrack.
"In view of this increase, and as speeding is one of the main causes of serious road accidents in Portugal along with driving under the influence of alcohol and failure to use seatbelts, the GNR has intensified control actions to reduce the number of road accident victims."
The GNR warns also that speed control actions will be intensified from September 22nd across the country, especially in places ways where speeding offences are more frequent and at accident black-spots including on motorways.
The GNR recorded ten fewer fatalities this summer but 1,047 more accidents than last year during "Operation Safe Summer.
117 people died in road traffic accidents this summer while in the same summer period in 2014 there were 127 fatalities.
In contrast, this year the number of accidents was up by 1,047 to 22,175. During this period, the GNR made 10,747 arrests, with 3,645 for driving under the influence of alcohol.
During "Operation Safe Summer 2015" the GNR also seized 786 guns, 11,998 round of ammunition, and nearly €365,000 in cash.
