Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Breath analysers to check drunken driving

P. Sujatha Varma

Initiative aimed at bringing down accident rate

VIJAYAWADA: Tipplers on wheels will have to watch out to escape impending trouble. The city police will soon be on the prowl to catch drunken drivers. The treatment that will be given on getting caught by the `breath analyser' could be tipsier than the peg guzzled down!

Equipped with the palm-sized but powerful tool, which can test if a person is driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, the Krishna district administration has decided to swoop down on people driving after drinking. The random checks will have drivers exhale into the machine. A green light flashed by the breath analyser will spell trouble for the driver.

Rising accidents

"The idea is to bring down the number of road accidents caused due to drunken driving at night. The new rule will bring drivers under psychological pressure to stay away from alcohol while driving," said District Collector Navin Mittal.

The district has acquired 50 sets of breath analysers, which have been distributed to the district, the city police and Transport Department (20, 20 and 10 sets each in that order). The city police will maintain a hawk's vigil on vehicles coming into the city from all entry points while their counterparts across the district will take care of vehicles moving outside the city limits. Similarly, the Transport Department will keep a close watch on all the check posts.

Though the new system is being experimented for the last couple of days, it will formally be put in place from March 4. "We intend to embark on random checks to bring the culprits to book. This will also serve as a deterrent to others against indulging in such offences," said Assistant Commissioner of Police, traffic wing, T. Prabhakar Babu.

Seizure of vehicles

Vehicles will be intercepted and seized if the driver is found to be drunk. A fine of Rs. 500 and Rs. 1,000 will be imposed on the erring drivers of two-wheelers and lorries respectively. The vehicles will be returned after 12 hours, he said.

Mr. Mittal admitted that stopping a vehicle driven by a drunken person on the main road can be a difficult task.

The focus, therefore, would be on the entry and exit points. But that does not mean tipplers ruling city roads can feel safe. They need to be wary not to fall into the trap jointly laid by the law and order and the traffic wings of the Police Department in coordination with the transport wing.

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