25 dead in road accidents, 346 injured, and 1.245 drunk drivers detained - this is the grim aftermath of the annual "Candle" operation carried out by the police on Polish roads. Compared to last year, there were less accidents and victims, but more people were driving under the influence of alcohol.
The annual police operation "Candle" was carried out from October 31 until November 3. Deputy Inspector Radosław Kobryś from Traffic Division at the Main Police Headquarters informed that in that period, 268 accidents took place, which took the lives of 25 people and left 346 injured. Police officers detained 1.245 drunk drivers.
According to the police, Sunday was the most tragic as 9 people died that day. Also on Sunday, most drunk drivers were detained.
The overall number of accidents, compared to the same period last year, has dropped by 99. Furthermore, last year there was nearly twice as many dead and injured. In 2018, there were 23 more deaths and 116 more injured. This year, however, the number of stopped drunk drivers was higher than last year by 205.
Deputy Inspector Kobryś stressed that, among other factors, due to number of deaths nearly halved, it can be considered a success. "Nonetheless, it's difficult to say this word when talking about 25 dead people in 4 days," he explained.
The "Candle" operation involved over 5.000 traffic police officers, supported by officers from other departments and the Military Police. The officers were mostly operating in the vicinity of cemeteries and at the roads leading to them.
Autor: gf / Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP