Lt. Col. Teresa Albentosa of Cuba's National Directorate of Traffic (DNT) told the newspaper Juventud Rebelde that alcohol is a factor for every one in three traffic accidents in Cuba.
The disproportionate number (33%) was revealed around the announcement that traffic agents, police, inspectors from the Ministry of Transport and medical personnel are conducting checks with breathalyzers in public from Friday, December 13th until Thursday, the 19th, to catch drivers who have consumed alcohol.
In the U.S., where last year drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs killed 10,322 people, only 7% of all traffic accidents involve alcohol consumption, according to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA.
Operations to control alcohol use this month will also apply in Cuba on December 24, 25 and 30, even though festivities take place almost the entire month .
Lt. Col. Albentosa reported an occurence of 10,561 alchohol related accidents through November 30th--39 more than in the same period the previous year--causing the death of 592 people and injuring 7,476.
The DNT official also made reference to the penalties against drunk drivers, which in Cuba, usually consists of relatively minor fines, and in extreme cases, a suspended or revoked license.
U.S. convictions for driving under the influence of intoxicants (DUI) can result in prison sentences of several years and other punitive measures ranging from heavy fines to confiscation of vehicles and license plates.
Some jurisdictions require drivers convicted of DUI to use special plates that are easily distinguishable from regular plates.
The erious problems posed by alcohol consupmption in Cuba were highlighted last June by the British magazine, The Economist.
The publication placed Cuba first among rum consumers per capita in the world, at 4.9 liters per year, and sixth overall among liquor drinkers in general, behind a handful of former Soviet countries that consume more than 7 liters of vodka per person per year.