Spain Considers Making Walking While Drunk and Jogging Too Fast Illegal

Walking tipsy along the streets of Spain’s Gothic Quarter might be a thing of the past as Spain’s Directorate General of Traffic plans to introduce breathalyzser tests for pedestrians.

As the crackdown on what is deemed to be dangerous walking is explored, Spain might also introduce an off-road speed limit for joggers, The Guardian reports.

Buried among a group of other road safety suggestions; these proposals are aimed at giving Spanish pedestrians responsibilities similar to those held by drivers.

The plans are not popular and have sparked sparked disputes.

The government’s top advisory council called the plans a violation of Spaniards’ rights.

The Council of State, the government’s top advisory council, has even urged the government body to overhaul the proposal. They claim that the measures would hinder the freedom and personal privacy of Spaniards and inpede their right to freely circulate. In their report the council speculated that Spaniards “could possibly abstain from fiestas or from attending weddings and celebrations where alcohol is consumed, since they could be subject to an alcohol test if a vehicle near them is involved in an accident”

The traffic directorate has responded to criticisms by saying that police already have the power to carry out alcohol and drug tests on pedestrians that break laws.

The proposals for sober walking might at the present time be hard to enforce as Spain has no official level of alcohol intake for which a person is banned from walking.

What the plan clearly suggests, however, is that pedestrians who are charged with an already existing legal infraction, such as jaywalking, could be given a drug or alcohol test, and a high reading for either test could perhaps lead to the jaywalker getting a tougher sentence.

A recent update suggests that this new plan for sober walking might only be the beginning, and Spaniards might come to see laws that would charge shortsighted people for leaving the house without their glasses, or ticket people for wearing clothing that might distract drivers.