Police step up `early starts` for roadside tests to crack down on drunk drivers

Police are hoping that targeting drink-drivers at specific times of the week will cut the death toll of cyclists on the road. Spain`s traffic officers are identifying early starts on Saturdays and Sundays for an additional 130,000 roadside spot tests on motorists. The weekend mornings tend to be busiest with recreational and club-based cyclists, according to the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT). More than 400 cyclists have died on Spain’s roads in the last decade, with the number of accidents involving cyclists and cars doubling between 2009 and 2015. Earlier this month three cyclists were killed on a road outside Oliva, on the Costa Blanca, after being struck by a 28-year-old woman who tested positive for both alcohol and drugs. It later emerged that the driver, who veered across the road into the path of cycling club members on a Sunday morning, was a repeat offender and had lost her licence after being caught drink-driving four years ago. The DGT says it will also introduce harsher penalties for those who are caught repeat offending, including steeper fines and permanent bans for anyone caught over the legal alcohol limit for a second time in two years. Cycling is enjoyed by a fifth of Spain`s population, while in the cities of Valencia, Vitoria and Zaragoza nearly half the populations list the bike as their mode of transport. In total, cyclists make up four per cent of all road deaths in Spain – half the European Union average of eight per cent.