Madras High Court: Conduct random checking via breath analyzers at toll gates
Drunk driving could be curbed to a large extent if breath analysers were set up at every toll gate
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-08-04 05:18 GMT
Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the authorities to look into a matter relating to random checking using breath analysers at toll gates to prevent drunk driving on national and state highways.
Disposing of a public interest litigation from advocate K. Akila, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T. S. Sivagnanam said, “The issue of drunken driving is already before the court in a different proceedings and we see no reason to initiate another PIL on this account. The only suggestion made in this petition is to have breath analysers set up at the toll gates to detect drivers under the influence of alcohol.
Such breath analysers have been used in the city. If every driver has to go through such breath analysers test at the toll gates, in our view, there will be a huge queue causing other problems. This, however, does not imply that the government cannot use the system of random checking through breath analysers even when somebody crosses the toll gate. To that limited extent, the authorities may look into the matter”.
RISE IN ROAD ACCIDENTS
Petitioner’s counsel A. P. Suryaprakasam submitted that according to crime records bureau statistics, in 2014 alone 14,165 accidents occurred claiming 15,190 lives.
In 2013, there were 14,504 accidents in which 15,563 lost their lives. There was an increase in road accidents from 2006 due to reckless opening of liquor shops and bars abutting national and state highways.
Drunk driving could be curbed to a large extent if breath analysers were set up at every toll gate.