KARACHI: The city police would no longer need conventional methods to detect drunk driving as for the first in its history, the law enforcement agency in the province is going to acquire breathalysers to check alcoholism in suspicious drivers amid a growing number of such cases which have led to many fatal road accidents mainly in Karachi, officials and sources said on Sunday.

They said that the Sindh police were in the process of acquirig some 90 breathalysers for their traffic management arm which would be first deployed in different parts of Karachi and then expanded to other districts of the province. The fresh procurement, they said, was part of the Sindh police strategy to bring in more technological support for the regular policing to help maintain both — accuracy and transparency.

“It’s not decided yet but the south district of Karachi would be among the few districts where these devices would be deployed first,” said an official sharing the plan and reasons behind the fresh procurement. “The trend [driving under the influence of alcohol or a drug] has obviously increased over the years. Over weekends and mostly late in the night, a number of such cases were reported where the drivers under the influence of such substance were found roaming on the roads and caused serious accidents.”

He said all the 90 breathalysers would be first deployed in Karachi and in the next phase more cities of the province would be supplied with the devices. The international suppliers of the device, he said, would also offer a brief and effective training to the traffic police personnel of Karachi for effective use of the technology.

After the launch of Traffic Violation Evidence System a few years ago and equipping their personnel with sunglasses and pens attached to spy cameras, the fresh procurement of devices is said to be an initiative from the authorities to bring reforms in the traffic police. They believe a maximum number of challans and penalties against the drivers under influence of alcohol or drugs would discourage others and set deterrence against traffic rules violation.

Over 150 died in accidents involving inebriated drivers in past 10 months in city

Data on accidents

“The city has witnessed more than 150 deaths in traffic accidents during the last 10 months,” said the official. “The data compiled by the traffic police shows that till October 31, 147 fatal cases of road accidents were reported at different hospitals in the city. In 147 accidents, 154 people lost their lives in different parts of the city. In 41 other non-fatal road accidents, some 135 people sustained injuries. We, over the past few years, have found that in many fatal accidents there was a role of driving under influence of alcohol or drugs.”

He said Section 100 of the Provincial Motor Vehicle Ordinance 1978 had recommended six months imprisonment to the culprits while quoting it said: “whoever while driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle is under the influence of drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of exercising proper control over the vehicle, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both, and if having been previously convicted of such an offence, shall again be guilty of an offence punishable under this section, shall be subject for every such subsequent offence to imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both.”

Currently, he said, policemen while suspecting anyone of drunk driving used conventional way to determine the offence as the defined rules required a lethargic process which usually gave an advantage to the suspects.

“These days if anyone is suspected of drunk driving, the rules say that he or she should be brought to any medico-legal officer where he or she would be tested. If proven, then the police are authorised to charge him or her in line with the defined laws. The use of technology would allow policemen to find out such suspects on the spot and penalise them,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2020