Drunk lorry driver caught weaving through Murcia with 25,000 litres of corrosive chemicals

It could have ended in catastrophe, a lorry carrying 25,000 litres of caustic soda was intercepted on a motorway in Murcia after traffic officers spotted it weaving unpredictably across lanes, with the driver later found to have an alcohol level more than six times the legal limit for professional drivers. 

The articulated lorry was travelling along the A-7 near Alhama de Murcia, transporting the hazardous chemical from Sevilla to Murcia when a Guardia Civil traffic patrol noticed something was seriously wrong. Instead of holding a steady course, the heavy goods vehicle repeatedly drifted between lanes and even veered onto the hard shoulder, creating what officers described as a serious danger for everyone sharing the motorway. 

A dangerous load and an even more dangerous driver

Its cargo consisted of 25,000 litres of caustic soda, also known as sodium hydroxide, a highly corrosive chemical widely used in industrial processes. While it can be transported safely under strict regulations, any collision involving such a load has the potential to create a major emergency for motorists and emergency services alike. Recognising the immediate risk, officers from the Guardia Civil’s Lorca Traffic Unit moved quickly to stop the vehicle before anyone was injured.

Once the lorry had been brought safely to a halt, officers carried out a breathalyser test on the driver. The results were startling. The man recorded readings of 1.04 and 1.03 milligrams of alcohol per litre of exhaled air. Professional drivers in Spain are limited to 0.15 mg/l, meaning he was driving at more than six times the maximum legal limit. 

Disaster avoided on one of Murcia’s busiest motorways

The A-7 is one of Spain’s busiest transport corridors, carrying thousands of cars and heavy goods vehicles every day. A fully loaded articulated lorry already requires greater stopping distances and careful handling. Add alcohol to the equation, together with a tanker transporting dangerous chemicals, and the consequences could have been devastating.

Fortunately, officers intervened before the journey ended in tragedy. The Guardia Civil has now opened an investigation into the driver for an alleged offence against road safety after his exceptionally high alcohol reading. 

Why caustic soda demands extreme care

Caustic soda is an essential industrial product used in the manufacture of paper, cleaning products, textiles and water treatment. Despite its everyday uses, it is classified as a dangerous substance because it can cause severe chemical burns if released and comes into contact with skin or eyes.

For that reason, vehicles transporting the chemical are subject to strict safety rules, while drivers must meet additional professional standards. Those standards include the much lower legal alcohol limit that applies to professional drivers compared with private motorists.

A reminder of the risks on Spain’s roads

Drink-driving remains one of the leading causes of serious road collisions across Spain, despite years of awareness campaigns and tougher enforcement. When large commercial vehicles are involved, the risks become even greater because of their size, weight and the type of cargo they often carry. The Guardia Civil regularly carries out roadside checks targeting alcohol, drugs and dangerous driving, particularly on routes used by heavy goods vehicles.

In this case, officers believe their intervention prevented a potentially serious incident before it had the chance to unfold. For motorists travelling along the A-7 that day, the weaving lorry may have looked like just another reckless driver. What they could not have known was that it was carrying 25,000 litres of a hazardous chemical, and that the man behind the wheel had allegedly been driving while heavily over the legal alcohol limit.