A random police check in the early hours of Friday in a Lisbon neighbourhood known for its nightlife found 90% of drivers had a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit.
Of the 653 drivers that police stopped between 2.30am and 7.30am, 585 had a blood-alcohol level above 0,5g per litre of blood, police said in a statement.
Police detained 14 people, mostly for driving with a blood-alcohol level of at least 1,2g per litre of blood, while the other drivers found to be under the influence of alcohol were issued fines, they said.
One driver was arrested on drugs trafficking charges after he was found to have 20 doses of hashish in his possession.
Portuguese fines for driving under the influence of alcohol range between €500 and €2 500.
Portugal has both one of the highest alcohol consumption rates and one of the highest road-accident rates in Europe.
Road accidents caused 1 355 deaths, 4 636 serious injuries and 51 238 light injuries in 2003, according to government statistics.
A study carried out in 23 European countries and published late last year found 43% of all Portuguese said they regularly drove after drinking alcohol.
Only in Spain and Italy did a higher percentage of drivers say they often took to the road after a few drinks. — AFP