Spanish Cars Lead Winter Gear Fines in Storm Goretti; Drink-Driving Nets 26 Arrests

### Spanish Vehicles Dominate Fines for Missing Winter Equipment During Storm Goretti

Police and municipal traffic agents handed out 11 fines during last Friday and Saturday's heavy snowfall for drivers without required winter gear, such as snow chains. Eight fines went to Spanish-registered cars, one to an Andorran vehicle, and two to foreign-plated cars of unknown origin. Police issued five of the fines, while agents in Andorra la Vella, Canillo, and Ordino issued six—two each. Four police fines came from Canillo, with three on Friday and one on Saturday; the fifth followed a crash in Juberri. The penalty for driving unprepared in snowy conditions stands at 180 euros.

Storm Goretti brought significant accumulations, including 66 cm in Ransol and 37 cm over 24 hours on Saturday, per meteorological data. This weekend's enforcement forms part of wider road safety efforts this season, totaling 39 fines: 16 from police and 23 from municipal agents. La Massana and Ordino led with nine each, followed by two each in Andorra la Vella and Canillo, and one in Sant Julià de Lòria.

Authorities emphasized joint operations with local forces during snow events, setting up checkpoints and chain stations to bar unprepared drivers, cut accident risks, reduce traffic jams, and aid those struggling with equipment.

### Holiday Drink-Driving Crackdown Results in 26 Arrests

A campaign from December 11 to January 1 carried out 839 breath tests, yielding 26 arrests—including one for refusing the test—and 14 administrative fines. Three detainees were linked to crashes: two involving property damage and one with an injury. Most were local residents, joined by five tourists and two cross-border workers—23 men and three women. Peak blood alcohol readings topped 2 g/L, at 2.24 g/L and 2.38 g/L. The prior year recorded 19 arrests from 1,248 tests.

Recent cases underscore the hazards. Early Friday morning, between 2 and 4 a.m. in Canillo, police arrested a 23-year-old tourist who tested positive after removing a wheel clamp from his car—immobilized for illegal parking in Incles—and starting to drive. Officers charged him with a crime against public safety.

On Thursday evening around 7 p.m. along Encamp's Avinguda de la Bartra on the CG-2, a 31-year-old driver crashed into another car, injuring a 39-year-old woman. He registered 1.05 g/L on a breath test and was detained. Emergency services attended the scene.