Need to check drunken driving by bus drivers

The detention of a drunken omni bus driver in Tirunelveli on Sunday has shocked passengers who urge the police to check drivers of these long distance luxury coaches to ensure safety of public.

After passengers of a Coimbatore-bound omni bus alerted the police about the driver S. Muthukumar’s reckless driving under the influence of alcohol, the driver was detained at Tirunelveli Junction on Sunday night. The medical report established that he had consumed liquor while driving the vehicle with 38 passengers.

“It is not an isolated incident as many drivers of long distance buses are alcoholics and they operate buses under the influence of liquor without realising the risk involved in their act. An observation of drivers for a few minutes will tell you if he has consumed liquor or not,” said an auto driver operating from Tirunelveli Junction bus stand through which most of the omni buses from Nagercoil and Thiruvananthapuram ply everyday.

Commuters say that the police should check drivers, with breath analyzers, before the vehicles leave for the destination. “At least two breath analyzers should be kept by highway patrol teams at toll points situated at every 150 or 200 km to check drivers in the night so that this problem can be effectively checked,” says M. Jennifer, a software engineer of a Chennai-based company.

Besides endangering the life of passengers by consuming alcohol, the drivers pose serious threat to other road users. As drivers of omni buses going to far off destinations like Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore do not reduce the speed even after entering the city limits with powerful headlights, it scares other road users after 8 p.m., especially those who are riding their two-wheelers on the Tirunelveli – Nagercoil Highway in the night.

“After manoeuvring their Volvos and Scanias on the four-lane national highway at 130 km per hour, drivers just come down to 100 km speed even after reaching the narrow stretch between Tuckerammalpuram and South Bypass Road to pose serious threat to other road users. The police should be tough against these drivers, who terrorise others with speed and blinding high-beam headlights,” said M. Rajkumar, a government official who is facing this threat everyday even as he crosses Tuckerammalpuram - South Bypass Road danger zone every night to reach home.

Need to check drunken driving by bus drivers

After passengers of a Coimbatore-bound omni bus alerted the police, a drunk driver was detained at Tirunelveli Junction.