UP police introduces new device to curb drunken driving

Police will launch a campaign on Wednesday in Gurgaon with new alcometers.

One might not be able to get away with drunken driving in Gurgaon that easily anymore. The traffic police have acquired new technology that would help streamline the offence further in order to curb the menace.

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The introduction of new alcometers, a device used to measure the alcohol content in a breath sample so as to determine whether a person is legally drunk, is the highlight of the campaign that kick starts on Wednesday. Traffic officials are undergoing a training to use the new alcomter at the traffic tower in Sushant Lok. The drive would be conducted from 8 pm to midnight across the city.

Joint commissioner (Traffic) Bharti Arora said, “The new alcometer will record the data of the offender and the next time any driver is booked, his earlier record will pop up and strict action will be taken. The vehicle will also be impounded.”

The new alcometer comes with an attached wireless printer that will print a challan if the driver is an offender. A peculiar feature of this new device is that it will analyse breath even during a conversation, thereby enabling the police to determine whether a person is intoxicated or not. The device has two modes, active and passive. While the active mode analyses breath, the passive will give the test result.

Since the beginning of this year, the traffic police have issued challans to 2,925 drivers and impounded 667 vehicles.

The police will take strict action against second time offenders. Drivers having an alcohol content of 30 mg in blood will be warned while a fine of Rs 2000 will be imposed if the alcohol content is between 30 mg and 100 mg. If it exceeds 100 mg, the vehicle will be impounded.

According to section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act (1988), a driver who has alcohol exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml of blood detected in a test by a breath analyser can face imprisonment up to six months or a fine or both. For the second or subsequent offence, the jail term can go up to two years.