Quito can learn from global programs to curb drunk driving accidents

Quito is struggling to control traffic accidents linked to alcohol, with 258 incidents and 735 drivers arrested for this reason between January and July 2026. This situation highlights a critical need for effective prevention strategies.

Globally, experts like Omar González, regional representative for the Global Alliance for Road Safety, identify four major risk factors for traffic fatalities and injuries: speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, not using seatbelts, and improper helmet use. González explains that alcohol impairs the central nervous system, reducing a driver's ability to react safely, assess dangers, and increasing risky behaviors like speeding. The World Health Organization suggests legal blood alcohol limits ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 grams per liter, cautioning that higher limits, sometimes up to 1.5 grams, are not safe due to individual metabolic differences.

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even in moderate amounts, it reduces a person's ability to drive safely.

Mexico City has implemented a successful program called "Conduce sin Alcohol" (Drive Without Alcohol). Juan Manuel Ríos, Executive Director of Institutional Preventive Program Application for the Mexico City Secretariat of Citizen Security, stated that this permanent sobriety checkpoint strategy has reduced alcohol-related traffic accidents by an estimated 30%. Launched on September 19, 2003, the program focuses on preventing issues like speeding and drunk driving, rather than solely on detaining drivers. The Global Alliance for Road Safety, through the Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Road Safety Initiative, is supporting Quito's efforts to reduce traffic accidents, with a new phase of support beginning in April 2026.

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the objective is not to detain the largest number of drivers, but to prevent.