CHENNAI: To enhance road safety and prevent accidents, the Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC) has introduced breath analysers at all of its 32 depots to monitor bus drivers for alcohol consumption. Drivers will be tested before the start of their morning and afternoon shifts, according to officials.
“Until recently, alcohol detection machines were used randomly to check whether a driver is under the influence. Now, like airline and locomotive pilots, bus drivers will be subjected to regular breath analyser tests,” an official said. During 2022-23, according to official data, 1,000 people lost their lives in 906 accidents involving government buses. In 2023-24, fatalities reduced to 971 across 878 fatal accidents.
The permissible blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is 30mg per 100ml of blood. “We restrict drivers from duty even if the breath analyser shows a reading between 10-15 mg,” an MTC official added. All the depots were given breath analysers last week.
Currently, when an accident occurs, the police conduct blood tests to determine whether the bus driver was under the influence of alcohol. “Regardless of the circumstances of the accident, the police often register a case of negligence against the larger vehicle involved - which, in most cases, is a government bus.
If the driver tests positive, compensation can run into several lakhs, even if the accident wasn’t the driver’s fault,” said an official. “We have requested the transport corporations to implement breathalyser tests as a routine measure,” a source from State Road Safety Council (SRSC) said.
This initiative has assumed significance following the recruitment of a significant number of temporary drivers in MTC, TNSTC, and SETC. Recently, several videos have surfaced showing bus drivers appearing to be under the influence while driving. Officials also acknowledged that in some cases, drivers may test positive due to medication taken before duty, and such practical concerns will be considered when interpreting results.
Similar breathalyser devices have now been introduced in SETC and all six TNSTC divisions recently. A total of 339 devices have been procured and distributed across divisions in Villupuram (70), Salem (39), Coimbatore (82), Kumbakonam (50), Madurai (58), and Tirunelveli (20). SETC has also received 20 breathalyser units.
Unlike private and commercial vehicles, government buses are not covered under accident insurance schemes. In the event of an accident, victims must file claims through courts. To address this, the government has set up an Accident Claim Settlement Fund, which receives an annual allocation of Rs 60 crore.