Never before in the recent history of Greek road safety have so many checkpoints been set up in such a short space of time. The figures speak for themselves: in Attica alone, alcohol checks now exceed 150,000 a month, a number that would have seemed unthinkable until recently.

Checkpoint volume reshapes the landscape

The intensity of enforcement shows no sign of easing, and is in fact accelerating. According to the latest data from the Hellenic Police (ELAS), 29,029 breathalyser tests were carried out in Attica alone during the week of 29 June to 6 July 2026. Of these, 254 violations were recorded and 11 drivers were arrested after registering readings above 0.60 mg/l of alcohol in exhaled breath. A further 18 arrests were made for other serious traffic offences during the same period.

A week earlier, during the operational period of 16-22 June, traffic police carried out 26,671 breathalyser tests, identifying 292 violations and arresting 17 drivers found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

A European frontrunner, and not by chance

What makes Greece’s figures striking is not simply their scale, but their ratio to population. No other European country carries out as many breathalyser tests per resident in a given area, placing Greece firmly at the top of the EU by this measure.

The reason lies in methodology. Greece is the only EU member state to systematically apply what is known as the “sweep breathalyser” method: the mandatory testing of every vehicle and every driver passing through a checkpoint, with no exceptions and no selection criteria. In every other EU country, alcohol checks are either targeted or random. In Greece, they are universal. If a car passes through a checkpoint, the driver is tested, without exception.

This approach has a twofold effect: it maximises the number of checks carried out, while also acting as a powerful psychological deterrent, since drivers know that reaching a checkpoint offers no chance of being overlooked.

A new Highway Code, a new enforcement logic

The implementation of Greece’s revised Highway Code (KOK) has brought not only stricter penalties but a different philosophy in how traffic police operate. Checkpoints are no longer set up on an ad hoc basis, but organised systematically, in targeted zones and during high-risk time windows.

The results are already visible in the data. While 0.8% of drivers tested positive in January, that figure has fallen to between 0.5% and 0.7% over the past two months. Proportionally, fewer drivers are getting behind the wheel after drinking, which was precisely the aim.

The broader picture is even more revealing. On an annual comparison, positive breathalyser results fell from around 5,147 in 2025 to 4,310 in 2026, a drop of roughly 16%. Given that the rate of positive tests stood at 4-7% just a few years ago, the scale of the shift becomes clear.

Arrests are rising, but for a different reason

One figure that could mislead public perception is the rise in arrests: from two arrests per 20,000 checks in January to between six and 20 per operation in recent months. This does not mean drivers are drinking more. Rather, it reflects more targeted enforcement in terms of zones and timing, increasingly catching the most serious cases, those who far exceed the legal limit. Serious offenders are no longer slipping through.

More officers, more checks

The rapid rise in checks is no coincidence; it is directly linked to the significant reinforcement of the Hellenic Police in recent years. Recruitment plans for 2026 include 1,896 new officers for ELAS alone, as part of a total of 2,160 permanent hires across the Ministry of Citizen Protection.

Source: News Auto