Road accidents due to drink driving go up, but checking

Bhubaneswar: The lifting of the lockdown, reopening of liquor shops and resumption of vehicular movement have all led to a spurt in road accidents owing to drink driving in the state over the last few days. However, the enforcement agencies, including the police and the regional transport officers (RTOs), appear to be clueless as the government is yet to resume alcohol breathalyser test on suspected tipsy drivers.
Amid the Covid-19 outbreak and apprehension of contracting the infection through handling of the alcohol breathalyser kits used to test the inebriated drivers, the state police headquarters had on March 17 ordered the immediate suspension of the crackdown on drunk drivers.
Police sources said at least 85 accidents were reported in different districts in the last one week. “We found that 40 accidents occurred owing to drink driving. Though we could not use the alcohol breathalyser device for checking the tipsy drivers, we took the accused persons to hospital for a test. They were all found drunk,” a police officer said.
Liquor shops, which were shut since March 22 in the wake of the pandemic, were allowed to sell alcoholic beverages only through online booking and home delivery from May 25. From July 1, the state government allowed the counter sale of liquor.
Sources said the police and the RTOs have been asked to send suspected drunk drivers to hospital for alcohol tests. “We are unlikely to resume the alcohol breathalyser test because of the pandemic. But the reckless drivers should be taken to the hospital for the test. Random enforcement against such people will be risky now,” state transport commissioner Sanjeeb Panda said.
Driving under the influence of alcohol is a major cause of concern for the authorities as the state recorded the second highest number of road deaths caused by drink driving in 2018. Transport statistics said the state witnessed 555 deaths owing to drink driving in 2018. Uttar Pradesh topped the list with 1,824 such deaths.
The state police had launched special drives against tipsy drivers from September 6, 2019 after the amended Motor Vehicles (MV) Act came into effect on September 1. The new MV Act has a provision of imposing hefty Rs 10,000 fine and arrest for drink driving.