The operation, which will run until Sunday, will focus on locations where there is "a higher incidence of accidents and non-compliance with speed limits, with the aim of promoting road safety throughout mainland Portugal," the National Republican Guard (GNR) said in a statement.

The GNR emphasises that speeding continues to be, in Portugal, "one of the main causes of serious road accidents, whether due to the reduction in the driver's reaction time to deal with an unexpected event or the worsening of the consequences resulting from the greater violence of the collision."

"It is also the most common offense in all European countries and the leading cause of road deaths throughout Europe," he warns.

With this action, the GNR aims to raise public awareness about the importance of professional drivers adopting safer behaviours, promoting road safety and safeguarding human lives.

During 2024, military police officers stopped 13,151,582 vehicles and recorded 9,644 speeding violations.

"Therefore, this action also aims to raise awareness among drivers about the importance of adopting safer behaviours, with a view to promoting road safety and safeguarding human lives," he emphasizes.

The GNR operation takes place within the scope of the European Traffic Police Network (RoadPol), an organization established by European traffic police forces to improve road safety and compliance with traffic regulations.

At the end of 2021, the GNR became a member of RoadPol, integrating the operations planned by that organization into its operational planning.

In this context, RoadPol established four priority areas of action in the field of road safety: roads, vehicles, users, and speed.

As in previous years, RoadPol has developed a plan for road enforcement operations for the current year, according to the GNR.

These Europe-wide operations have the main purpose of creating a safer road environment through simultaneous intervention on the main causes of accidents, seeking to influence positively encourage road users to adopt safer behaviours.