The Municipality of San Sebastián (Spain) has decided to strike directly at the wallet of people who will require rescue at sea because of “negligence or carelessness”reports The Guardian relayed by Slate.
The authorities of the city located on the Atlantic coast have noticed an increase in cases of “reckless swimming” since a few months. But rescues at sea are expensive for the public finances of the city, which is therefore preparing legislation to charge the cost of the intervention to the ” victim “.
Sometimes perilous rescues for rescuers
In April 2022, for example, the city had to pay €6,000 for the rescue of two alcoholic tourists who had gone swimming and found themselves stuck in currents. “I would like to never charge a single euroassured a city councilor to the Guardian. The goal is to prevent such incidents. This law aims to make people think twice. »
By this measure, the municipality also wants to avoid that its taxpayers have to pay for the reckless behavior of foreign visitors, and wishes to protect its own teams. “Every rescue carries a personal risk for first responders and ties up valuable resources”summarizes the municipal councilor.
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