Illegal parking, drunk driving cases increase in 1H

Statistical data released by the Public Security Police Force (PSP) shows that the number of some traffic-related infractions has been increasing during the first half (1H) of this year. Among these are illegal parking violations as well as driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol.

According to the release, from January to June this year, police detected and fined a total of 15,110 cases of illegal parking through the road video surveillance system, an increase of 10.95% compared with the same period last year.

Among the locations with the highest number of reported cases were Avenida Comercial de Macau, Estrada do Repouso (next to Kiang Wu Hospital), and Rua do Almirante Sérgio (in the Inner Harbor area).

Video surveillance equipment with illegal parking detection systems has been installed in several locations across the city, expanding from previous locations that included Rua de Ferreira do Amaral (next to Tap Seac Pavilion) and sections of Avenida Dr. Sun Yat Sen in Taipa, among others.

The PSP has said that it will continue to work closely with the Transport Bureau to implement similar measures in other areas of Macau, aiming to combine video surveillance with officers on the spot to strictly enforce illegal parking regulations, particularly in areas where a high incidence of occurrences affects regular traffic flow.

Additionally, over 5,300 vehicles have been clamped, the majority at street parking spaces for failing to comply with parking meter payment requirements.

On DUI, the PSP noted that it detected a total of 46 cases of drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol in the 1H, a figure that represents a 9.5% increase year-on-year. Of these 46 cases, 40 involved people caught driving vehicles with a blood alcohol content of 1.2g/L or more, a level that is considered a crime and carries hefty fines and prison sentences.

Another infraction that received particular attention from authorities, particularly after the incident involving the death of a 10-year-old boy in late May, was the failure to stop at zebra crossings to give way to pedestrians.

Police records from the 1H noted a total of 646 such cases, a figure that represents a 97% increase year-on-year.