Portugal to consider reducing the maximum alcohol-driving level
The National Road Safety Authority (ANSR) have announced the possibility of a reduction in the maximum alcohol level for driving. It will be discussed as part of the upcoming public consultation on the National Road Safety Strategy.
On Tuesday, the Spanish parliament approved, in a first vote (not yet final), a proposal, to reduce the maximum amount of alcohol currently permitted in drivers' blood from 0.5 grams of alcohol per litre of blood to 0.2 grams.
The matter will soon be the subject of broad and systemic reflection, through public consultation, within the scope of the National Road Safety Strategy Vision Zero 2030”, stated the ANSR.
The National Road Safety Strategy - Vision Zero 2030, which aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the road by 50% by 2030, should have already been approved by the previous socialist government. ANSR prepared the document in 2023 and forwarded it to the then supervisory authority, but the strategy has not yet left the drawing board.
According to the proposal approved by the Spanish parliament, the 0.2 gram rate will be applied to all drivers in Spain, regardless of their profession, or the age of their driving license.
The Spanish proposal stated that alcohol or drugs "are the main causes of road accidents worldwide" and that in countries such as Sweden and Norway, "world leaders in road safety", the maximum level is already 0.2 grams per litre of blood, which is also recommended by international organisations, which understand that "this limit is equivalent to zero tolerance".
In Portugal, the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5 grams for most drivers and 0.2 g/l for professional drivers and those with a provisional driving license.
According to the Highway Code, driving with a blood alcohol level between 0.5 and 0.8 is a serious offence, and between 0.8 and 1.2 is a very serious offence. If the level is greater than or equal to 1.2 grams, it is considered a crime and is punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year.
ANSR indicates that alcohol is one of the main causes of road accidents in Portugal, along with speeding, distraction, mobile phone use, failure to comply with traffic rules and fatigue.
According to ANSR, research carried out over several decades on the influence of alcohol on the ability to drive reveals that “this is mainly impaired due to disturbances in cognitive aspects and information processing that lead, among other effects, to reduced decision-making capacity and speed, increased reaction time and lack of coordination of movements”.
“This loss of abilities, as well as changes in behaviour that can lead to states of euphoria and disinhibition, significantly increase the risk of being involved in road accidents,” says this organisation, highlighting that alcohol can also reduce the motivation to comply with safety standards, which can result in an active search for dangerous situations, in addition to a decrease in concentration, visual field, awareness of distances, speed and reflexes.
The ANSR also indicates that “the incapacity caused by alcohol is an important factor that influences both the risk of road accidents and the severity of injuries resulting from accidents”, with drivers with alcohol in their blood “having a much greater risk of being involved in accidents than those who do not”.
“With the increase in blood alcohol content (BAC), not only does the accident rate increase, but also the severity of the accident. The probability of a driver with a BAC of 1.5 g/l being involved in an accident with casualties is 22 times greater than that of a sober driver and the probability of resulting in an accident with fatalities is around 200 times greater”, explains ANSR.
The latest ANSR report on driving under the influence of alcohol, for 2022, indicates that in that year there were 2,904 accidents with victims in the country, in which at least one of the drivers involved had a BAC equal to or greater than 0.50 grams.
According to this report, drivers are the main victims of alcohol-related accidents, accounting for around three-quarters of fatalities and serious injuries.
In 2022, drivers with a BAC equal to or greater than 0.50 g/l (a value higher than the legal limit) accounted for 116 fatalities, 385 serious injuries and 1,812 minor injuries in mainland Portugal.
According to estimates by the European Commission, 25% of deaths on the roads of the European Union are related to alcohol.
Storm Martinho results in falling trees and damage to buildings across the Algarve
The effects of Storm Martinho passing through the Algarve were less than expected, with damage mainly caused by strong winds, such as falling trees and removable structures.
According to civil protection, there were 193 incidents recorded due to storm Martinho, but no injuries or need for relocation of anyone.
“There are no serious situations and the incidents, mainly caused by the wind, were all resolved within the municipal scope, without the need to send external resources,” said the Algarve regional commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC), Vítor Vaz Pinto.
According to this official, several houses and buildings were damaged, “but there were no injuries and no need to rehouse anyone”.
“We were expecting more rain and the wind was the main problem, with trees and movable structures falling mainly,” added Vítor Vaz Pinto.
According to regional civil protection services, in Foia, the highest point in the Algarve, located in the Monchique mountains, winds of up to 140 km per hour were recorded.
From 8:00 pm on Wednesday until 8:00 am this Thursday, ANEPC's regional services registered 193 incidents, 143 of which were falling trees.
There were also 16 incidents related to falling removable structures (mainly advertising panels along roads) and nine falling construction elements on built structures (mainly scaffolding).
Eight incidents in which structures were at risk of falling were removed, three were road cleaning and one was related to flooding.
Regional civil protection services warn that there will be a further worsening of weather conditions this afternoon, but it is not expected to be as adverse as what occurred during the night.
Mainland Portugal has been under an orange warning since the end of Wednesday due to strong winds caused by depression Martinho.
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere ( IPMA ) has issued yellow warnings for the Algarve for this Thursday, with rainfall expected, sometimes heavy, possibly hail and accompanied by thunderstorms, wind gusts of up to 75 km/hour, especially on the coast and in the mountains, and, on the west coast, waves in the sea from the west/southwest of four to five metres, and on the south coast, waves from the southwest of four to four and a half metres.
Man arrested for child sex abuse using video calls
The Judicial Police, through the Criminal Investigation Department of Portimão, have arrested a 52 year old man, for allegedly committing sexual abuse against a minor under the age of 10, via WhatsApp video calls.
In a statement, the police reported that the investigation, which began following a complaint from the boy's mother, found that the suspect was contacting the young boy via video calls on WhatsApp.
The man did not ask the boys age, but " enticed him to share intimate images and perform sexual acts remotely", the the police said.
At the first judicial interrogation on Tuesday, the suspect was subject to the coercive measures of identity and residence terms, and a ban on contact with the victim and other minors, by any means.
Strong winds and heavy rain cause damage across the Algarve, but dams are beginning to fill
As depression Laurence passed over the Algarve yesterday, heavy rain and strong winds damaged the roof of the old Albufeira fish market, on Praia dos Pescadores, causing tiles to fly off, hitting some nearby terraces.
A source from the civil protection authorities said that there were no injuries reported, only material damage, and that this was the third extreme wind phenomenon recorded in the Algarve yesterday.
In Silves, three houses suffered damage to their rooves, causing one resident to move in with relatives. "There were incidents of trees and some structures falling, as well as mass movements onto the road and some flooding, but without any major incidents", said the civil protection.
There are two more depressions forecast this week.
On the plus side, the Algarve's dams have seen a significant increase in water volume, due to the rain that has been falling over the last few days in the region.
The latest weekly reservoir bulletin from the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA), for the period between the 10th and 17th of this month, shows an increase in storage levels in all reservoirs in the region, with emphasis on Funcho, in the municipality of Silves, which saw an increase of 14%.
This Monday, March 17th, the storage levels in the Algarve dams were as follows: Odeleite was at 94% of its capacity; Beliche at 89%; Funcho at 75%; Odelouca at 61%; Bravura at 43%; and Arade at 20% - the volume of this reservoir has already increased, given that Funcho has started to discharge.
In the coming days, the amount of water stored in the region's dams will increase more, given that the rain is expected to continue a little longer.
Lagos, Olhão and Faro simplify foreigners applications for NIF, NISS and NNU
Lagos, Olhão and Faro are among the first cities to simplify the applications for NIF, NISS and NNU for foreigners.
From today, this Monday 17th March 2025, foreign citizens with a regular status in Portugal will be able to apply for these identification numbers all at once, reducing pressure on customer service departments.
“It is an important measure because it simplifies people's lives” and “allows citizens to go to just one service in person, instead of going to three different public services, or to do it comfortably at home, because this service can also be done at home”, via the internet using a digital mobile key, the Minister of Youth and Modernization, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, told Lusa news agency.
It is possible to “request, in a single application, the Tax Identification Number (NIF), the Social Security Identification Number (NISS) and the National User Number (NNU)”, says the Government, in a statement.
There are now 10 of these Espaço Cidadão offices across the country - Braga, Cascais, Lisbon, Olhão , Lagos , Setúbal, Porto, Loures, Oeiras and Faro.
“By saving people from having to visit these stores and public services in person, we are also ensuring that we do not overload the work and lives of the people who work in these spaces, who often find themselves under enormous pressure due to the number of people seeking these public services,” explained the minister.
This measure “is aimed at foreign citizens, who do not have a citizen card and who already have a residence permit or have already requested one, who have nationality from a European Union country, who have requested international protection”, that is, who already hold refugee status or are beneficiaries of international protection.
“There is another problem we have in Portugal, because we have many citizens who do not yet speak Portuguese and who also have difficulty accessing this information because of the language barrier”, acknowledged the minister. On the gov.pt online page, a virtual conversation assistant is now available to clarify doubts in 12 different languages.
From now on, “the virtual assistant tells people all the steps they need to take” to request identification numbers in their relationship with the State, and indicates which “citizen space they can go to”.
This simplification model was foreseen in the Migration Plan announced in June last year by the Government.
The measure “required coordination between several entities, because we are simplifying people's lives”, but required the combined efforts of organisations such as the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum, the Administrative Modernization Agency, the Tax Authority, health and social security services, among others.
According to the Government, “this measure will have a double positive effect: it will simplify the process of obtaining these identification numbers for foreign citizens and, at the same time, it will improve the efficiency of public services to serve all citizens, reducing the pressure on face-to-face service”.
For now, the system is only possible in the 10 'citizen spaces', but the aim is for it to be “progressively extended to the entire network, which as of Monday has more than 930 offices”.
In addition to face-to-face assistance, information about the process is also available by telephone through the Citizen Line (210 489 010), or on the Single Digital Services Portal, gov.pt.
