Portugal’s embattled minister for internal administration, Luís Neves, has given a stark assessment of the road traffic situation in Portugal today, promising new measures by the end of September. But the truth is that Neves sees the dreadful accident record on Portugal’s roads as a situation akin to a “civil war”. Neves took the opportunity to warn that next weekend – a holiday changeover period traditionally marked by many accidents – there will be many “unpredictable enforcement operations”. Neves welcomed the submission of these suggestions as a sign of “civic participation” aimed at helping to combat the situation. “There is a need for us to have municipal road safety plans”, he stressed.