Ciudad Juarez.- At least 129 repeat offenders have been arrested for drunk driving so far this year on this border.
As of the first week of August, 860 people have been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the newspaper archive. Of that number, according to César Alberto Tapia Martínez, head of the Municipal Road Safety Coordination, 15 percent are citizens who had already been arrested for drunk driving, which is why he suggested increasing sanctions. “To see stronger sanctions, agreements must be sought with the City Council and put up for consideration so that support can be provided and follow-up can continue,” he said. “First of all, jail would be sought, not just that they are released immediately. The main objective is to ensure that citizens understand that the law must be respected,” added the official.
There is currently a proposal in the City Council Committees to seek an increase in sanctions for repeat offenders, however it has not been decided and, in addition, with the change in municipal administration, it could take longer to address the issue, he considered.
Since 2023, the City Council’s Public Safety Commission has been discussing sanctions ranging from permanently canceling the license of repeat drunk drivers to suspending the document from six months to two years. Councilwoman Mireya Porras Armendáriz, coordinator of the city commission, said last year that the councilors were seeking to have repeat drivers’ licenses suspended after two arrests and would review the sanction being gradual, from six months to two years of suspension of the document. In July alone, traffic officers removed 127 drunk drivers from the streets and referred them to the Total Civic Recovery Center (Cerecito). Official data indicate that 11 drivers, that is, 8.6 percent, were involved in road accidents in which they appeared as probable perpetrators.
They fall to the Cerecito
After they are taken to the Cerecito and test positive for alcohol, a civic judge determines the hours of arrest that the drivers should spend in confinement, as part of the sanction for the offense committed. The hours of arrest can be from 24 to 36 hours. Since June, the General Coordination of Road Safety (CGSV) has reinforced preventive actions to prevent drunk drivers from putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. Tapia Martínez indicated that by instruction of Mayor Cruz Pérez Cuéllar, the number of operational personnel on the streets will be reinforced, mainly in the third shift, to try to inhibit accidents.
#repeat #drunks #arrested