After accidents, make breath test must

Irked over the menace of drunken driving, a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has ordered the city police chief to make it mandatory to have breath analyser tests of the drivers of vehicles involved in road accidents.

Irked over the menace of drunken driving, a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal has ordered the city police chief to make it mandatory to have breath analyser tests of the drivers of vehicles involved in road accidents.

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MACT judge Swarana Kanta Sharma gave the directive Delhi Police commissioner noting that similar orders have been "repeatedly issued" in the past but "to no avail".

"It is again directed that necessary directions be given to all the police stations investigating such cases and specifically to the MACT cells ... that such test should be mandatorily carried out and report be filed along with the detailed accident report," the judge said.

"Copy of this order should be sent to commissioner of police with the direction to pass the necessary order and circulate these directions to all the DCPs concerned .... to do the needful," the court said.

The judge also ordered the DCP, Central District, to file compliance report in this regard within 10 days.

The court ordered this while awarding a compensation of R14,200 to Rama Shankar, who was injured in a road accident near Daryaganj in May 2009.

Shankar was rushed to a nearby hospital and he was discharged on the same day after treatment.

During the investigation, Vipin Kumar, driver of the offending vehicle, was found under the influence of alcohol.

The court observed that people drive vehicles after consuming liquor as they are aware that if they meet with an accident, the financial burden is to be borne by the insurance company, with whom the vehicle is insured.