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Kerala drivers fail breath test despite not drinking, courtesy jackfruit
The breathalyser test is part of a routine check in the mornings before the drivers start on their routes.
Three bus drivers of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) were nearly booked for drunk driving after failing a breathalyser test without consuming any alcohol.
The reason? Jackfruit.
The bizarre incident took place last week at the Pandalam depot in Pathanamthitta district, India Today reported. The breathalyser test is part of a routine check in the mornings before the drivers start on their routes.
When the drivers took the test, the device showed a blood alcohol reading of 10, above the legally permissible limit. This was despite the drivers not having consumed even a single drop of alcohol.
The drivers, surprised at the reading, said that they had not consumed any alcohol. Amid the confusion, the drivers' attention was drawn to a jackfruit brought by one of the drivers from Kottarakara in Kollam district, India Today reported.
Following this, the officials from KSRTC conducted an experiment to verify the source of the reading. A driver, who had tested negative during the earlier reading, was asked to eat a few piece of the same jackfruit consumed earlier by the other drivers.
When the driver was tested, the alarm for the alcohol reading sounded, confirming a positive reading, according to the India Today report. The driver had not consumed anything else.
The fruit, when overly ripe, can get strongly fermented, which may have interfered with the breathalyser reading. The fermented sugar in the jackfruit led to the device showing presence of alcohol in the blood.
