Are the GNR having a bit of a traffic blitz at the moment? We encountered two random checks on Friday evening on the back roads between Ferragudo and Vale de Milho and were stopped at one – the first time I’ve been stopped in twenty-five years of driving in Portugal. Fortunately I had my documents with me and had no problems. Is this unusual or is it now the norm?

have you seen the death rates on the roads last year in portugal? less than previous years, there's a 0% nationwide tolerance at the moment, so don't be surprised if you're being stoped, and for what i've heard it's here to stay...

oh yeah, checking the paper work on the backroads of Carvoeiro will definitely save a lot of lives...

Blobby,

you will be surprised at how many pisched idjuts weave around the back roads of the Algarve on a Friday/Saturday night/Sunday morning. If every local station does their part to lock down these routes, there may be a realistic chance that people actually think twice about getting behind the wheel of a car after a night on the piss.

While we are on the subject of the GNR, high visibility vests - are the rental car companies providing them? I do recall some posts on the subject but not sure if there was any firm conclusion.

G

As they will be obligatory, the vests should be provided by the rental comapnies and placed at the clients disposal.

I take your point Gambrinus and have no problem with being stopped if it helps keep the inebriates off the roads. However, I would question whether it wouldn’t be more productive, in terms of reducing the death toll, to have a blitz on the appalling tailgating that goes on. I had someone sitting no more than 1.5m from my bumper while I was doing 120kph on the A22 on Saturday. I’m getting too old for that kind of “thrill”!

Agree with Gambrinus - many drink drivers in our area take the minor back roads knowing there is less chance of traffic police being there - we actually live on one of these and have 30mph speed limit into the village but usual boy racers and ignorant poseurs in flash cars ignore that. I have often kept my distance behind drivers when I see them drifting over centre line and then mounting pavement and this is during the day but Police are forever 'hiding' on major dual carriageway to stop speeding or have blitzes pulling in drivers who have actually turned out to be burglars, criminals which is to be commended but as the Police have publicised this so much on tv now are the criminals taking the back roads putting children and all pedestrians at risk?

lot of drugs are brought in around the coastal areas, Albandeira and Barranquinho being two of them. Not too far from Vale de Milho...

guest too wrote:I take your point Gambrinus and have no problem with being stopped if it helps keep the inebriates off the roads. However, I would question whether it wouldn’t be more productive, in terms of reducing the death toll, to have a blitz on the appalling tailgating that goes on. I had someone sitting no more than 1.5m from my bumper while I was doing 120kph on the A22 on Saturday. I’m getting too old for that kind of “thrill”!

Funny you should mention the A22, I was on that a couple of times since they "installed the new speed cameras" and I found it to be quite a relaxing ride compared to last year. Granted, there will always be the odd idiot acting like he owns the road, but I felt it was a lot fewer idiots to the mile.

It comes down to the same old story, though - middle of the month and the cops are driving around in their private cars because they have no fuel money left for the squad cars

Yeah....guess I'll have to find anuvver way home now (Hic) .....maybe I'll just get a Cab.....

G - Where are the speed cameras? Have not seen them? Are they the 'flash' type or are they the digital variety. What do they do if they catch rental car.......

they bomb them

If only there were guided missiles that could lock on to people who are speeding - hmmm might suggest that to Blair and Co.- they just love ideas like that

Re speed cams - that is why I put it in quotes, I have not actually seen them myself yet nor have I been tagged for destruction by any missiles.....yet.
There have been accounts of people being pulled over for speeding though, so it is safe to assume that the GNR has implemented some form of speed control on the A22. I expect they will be the mobile type they set up a and then pull people over a few clicks down the road.