Policing reduces fatalities
Police said yesterday that their increased presence on Athens roads over the festive season has resulted in a 60 percent drop in fatal car accidents. According to police data, there were 237 accidents between December 21 and January 2 in the Attica region. Of these collisions, 11 involved fatalities, showing a drop of 60.7 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. «The strong police presence on the roads of Attica worked as a deterrent, forcing most drivers to be more careful and not consume alcohol above allowable limits,» Brigadier Antonis Vitorakis, the chief of Attica traffic police, told Kathimerini. Based on the positive results so far, authorities intend to maintain the same tactics and keep up the close supervision of drivers, Vitorakis added. A total of 16,945 drivers were checked for blood alcohol readings, about 17 percent more checks than last year. Police pulled over 389 drivers this year who were caught having had too much to drink.
