CHENNAI: The city traffic police has intensified vehicle check to curb drunken driving. Until June, the city alone has recorded over 600 accident-related deaths, according to police data. Speaking to TNIE, Dr N Kannan, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, “The analysis by the traffic police indicates that most of the fatalities have occurred due to the fault of the driver under the influence of alcohol.
After we intensified checking in the last one month, the number of accidents have come down.” According to the police, soon the straw used to blow will have a separate coating of plastic which the motorist has to remove before fixing on the instrument.
The traffic personnel are given breath analyzers attached to a stick. The stick is further attached to the barricade or the police vehicle. “Since police personnel visit several places in a day, it might not be advisable for them to touch the machine.
Hence, during the shift change the personnel are instructed to sanitize the machine by wiping with disinfectant,” said a police officer. If personnel in some places do not follow the instructions, public are advised to ask the police not to touch the straw or machine while checking for drunken driving.