To bolster its ongoing drive against drunken driving in the Capital, the Delhi Traffic Police will soon procure 128 new breathalysers. They have issued a tender for the same.
Talking to The Hindu , a senior police officer said the procurement will equip them to rein in errant drivers who are a threat not only to themselves but to everyone.
In the past few months, a new law and order problem has emerged in the city in the form of stunt bikers, many of whom perform dangerous stunts under the influence of alcohol. The procurement of new breathalysers is expected to curb this menace.
At present, the Delhi Traffic Police have 200 breathalysers in over 40 traffic circles. The new machines have a system that detects a drunk driver even before air is blown into them.
“At present, everyone is made to blow into the machine’s pipe and only after that can it be detected whether the person has consumed alcohol or not. These new machines will produce a beeping sound and the colour of the light-emitting diode will change when kept close to the mouth of a drunken driver. Thereafter, such people will be asked to blow into the machine to measure their blood-alcohol content,” said the officer.
According to the Delhi Police website, blood alcohol content of over 40 mg for 100 ml blood is considered dangerous. In experience, youngsters/adults with blood alcohol content above zero have 2.5 times the risk of crash compared with other drivers.
Till August 15 this year, the blood alcohol content of 18,729 drivers was found above permissible limits. Giving a breakdown, a senior police officer said 6,700 cars, 9,900 two wheelers, 700 auto-rickshaws, 500 light motor vehicles and 150 heavy vehicles were found being driven by persons under the influence of alcohol. Three Delhi Transport Corporation drivers were also found driving drunk.
The officer said they will soon have a database of repeat drunk-driving offenders, as with other traffic violators, thanks to the recently launched e-challaning system.
