The Balearic Islands is the third autonomous community in Spain with the highest percentage of drivers who admit to driving after having consumed alcohol, according to a survey carried out by the Línea Directa Foundation as part of the campaign ‘At Christmas, responsible driving’.
Some 24.5% of drivers in the archipelago admit to having been behind the wheel after drinking, a figure that places the Balearic Islands only behind Cantabria (25%) and the Community of Valencia (24.8%), and well above the national average, which stands at 18.6%.
Drinking and driving, a common practice at Christmas time
Nationally, 19% of Spanish drivers admit to using their vehicles after having consumed alcohol during the Christmas holidays, equivalent to some 5.2 million people, according to the study based on 1,700 surveys.
Among those who admit to this behavior, the most common moments are company dinners, as well as important celebrations such as New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve, both with 37% of mentions.
Lack of risk perception at the wheel
One of the most worrying data in the report is that 57% of drivers who drank and then drove did not consider their behavior to be dangerous, stating that they did not perceive any risks other than the usual ones.
This normalization of alcohol consumption before driving is also reflected in the context of work celebrations.
Alcohol at company dinners
According to the study, 61% of drivers consume alcohol during the company dinner itself, while 48% do so during the aperitif before and 26% at a later time, usually in the form of mixed drinks.
Twenty-two percent of those surveyed admitted to drinking alcohol at two of these times and about 7% at all three, which increases the risk before getting behind the wheel.
Beer and wine, the most common beverages
The most consumed alcoholic beverages are beer and wine, followed by drinks or mixed drinks. In the latter group, 7% of drivers acknowledge having consumed more than three drinks, an amount that may represent a high blood alcohol level.
Balearic Islands, far above the communities with the lowest consumption at the wheel
While the Balearic Islands is among the communities with the worst figures, others such as Castilla y León (8.2%), La Rioja (8.8%) and Castilla-La Mancha (10.3%) have the lowest percentages of drivers who admit to driving after drinking alcohol.
Alcohol and traffic fatalities
Official data from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF) reinforce the seriousness of the problem. In 2024, 34% of drivers killed in traffic accidents tested positive for alcohol.
In addition, 23% had a criminal blood alcohol level, and 22% of the drivers killed with substances in their system had combined alcohol with drugs, psychotropic drugs or both.
Breathalyzer controls and perception of penalties
During the last year with available data, the DGT and the Guardia Civil carried out 5.6 million preventive alcohol controls, of which 1.2% were positive.
The study indicates that 65% of drivers avoid driving after drinking for fear of being fined or having an accident. Although 96% consider the fines to be justified, 35% also believe that they have a collection component.
