Mexico City to Relax DUI Program for Holidays
City to give drunk drivers ‘noche libre’
December 19, 2005
The capital will suspend its “alcoholimetro” program. Public safety
officials in Mexico City last week announced that they would suspend the
capital’s drunk driving vigilance program for the nights of Christmas Eve
and New Year’s Eve. They added, however, that the “alcoholimetro” program
would be stepped up during all other days of the holiday season.
The suspension of drunk-driving vigilance for Christmas and New Year’s
celebrations is a tradition in the capital, where the practice is known
as a “noche libre,” or “free night.”
And while the idea has its critics, city officials point to statistics
to defend the practice. Last Christmas Eve, when drunk drivers were also
given a “free night,” there were three fatal car accidents, and on New
Year’s Eve there were two. The average day in the capital sees four fatal
accidents, according to the Public Safety Secretariat.
However, city statistics also show that there were 50 reported car
accidents in all last Christmas Eve, far more than the daily average of
26.
Source: The
Miami Herald
