Cancún Breathalyzer Program Still Stalled

CANCÚN, MX — The implementation of the breathalyzer program remains stalled within the United Commissions of the City Council with no set date for its eventual application, according to Pablo Gutiérrez Fernández, Secretary General of the Benito Juárez Municipal Government.

Interviewed on the morning of August 20, the municipal official stated that the council members, who are part of the United Commissions, continue working to ensure this program "fulfills its main objective, which is to save lives."

"We continue working with the council members, we continue working with the Municipal Trustee, it remains in the United Commissions, it has not been ruled upon, and there is no date," he added.

The official emphasized that it is of the utmost importance that the council members draft regulations that respond "to the new reality" following the Covid-19 pandemic, a period during which this traffic program was suspended.

Gutiérrez Fernández also stated that the body cameras, which police officers will begin using in the near future, will help "make more transparent" the application of this program, which was formerly headed by the Traffic Directorate.

"The body cameras are soon to be presented, which, without a doubt, will help us a great deal in making this program more transparent; this and other actions carried out by the corporation (Municipal Citizen Security Secretariat)," he added.

Finally, the official reiterated that there is no tentative date for implementation, emphasizing that the council members will continue reviewing the regulations for this program.

It is worth recalling that the breathalyzer program was suspended in March 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the argument that it represented a health risk for the personnel of the Traffic Directorate and for motorists.

For the past three years, various officials, including Mayor Ana Paty Peralta, have promised the return of the breathalyzer, even providing an estimated implementation date.

The last time a tentative date was given was on March 3 of this year, when the municipal president, Ana Paty Peralta, assured in an interview with media that the return of the breathalyzer operations in Cancún was imminent for the past Easter holiday week.