Transportation minister: drivers should not be punished for residual alcohol

The Czech transportation minister, Gustáv Slamečka, told the daily Právo on Saturday that the police should tolerate drivers with residual alcohol blood content of up to 0.025 percent. At the same time, Mr Slamečka said the Czech Republic should keep pursuing the zero tolerance policy to drunk driving. Some leading Czech politicians have questioned the current practice of the police which as of January give a breathalyzer test to every driver they pull over. According to statistics, only 82 more drivers were caught drunk compared to the same month previous year. In 2009, drunk drivers in the Czech Republic caused more than 5700 accidents, with 123 casualties.

Author: Jan Richter