Madurai City Traffic Police have procured 50 digital breath analysers, with advanced features, to check drunk driving in the city.
Madurai City Commissioner of Police T. Senthil Kumar distributed the new equipment along with other road safety gear such as reflective jackets, gloves, baton lights and barricades to the traffic police and law and order police here on Monday.
“The digital breath analysers are legally recognised by the courts and this spares the police from taking the suspected drunk driver/rider all the way to the hospitals for getting medical certificate for the driver/rider for having drunk,” he said.
The digital breath analysers works in two ways -- passive and active. “If the rider does not cooperate with the police in blowing air with his mouth into the equipment, the passive mode can absorb the alcohol content when placed near his mouth. In the active mode, the rider need to blow air into it,” Inspector of Police, Technical, Marisamy, explained.
The analyser would also take photograph of the user. “This additional feature will give no room for dispute that someone was not tested for alcohol content by the police,” the Commissioner said. Besides, the GPS feature would identify the exact location where the test was conducted.
Other details such as vehicle number, name of the rider/driver, his signature and the name of the police officer using it, can be manually entered into the system. The printout taken is a valid document equivalent to medical certificate issued by a medical officer.
The Commissioner asked the police officers to ensure that the given road safety equipment are put into good use. “Besides, these equipment bought for ₹30 lakh, we are planning to buy barricades for ₹80 lakh, given under Road Safety Fund,” Mr. Senthil Kumar said.
When asked about traffic congestion on Melur Road in Mattuthavani, the Commissioner said that the police have been imposing fine on vehicles parked on no-parking zone and causing the congestion. “Barricades have been placed to prevent parking of vehicles,” he added.
On the new traffic diversion on West Veli Street, he said that it was being carried out on an experimental basis in anticipation of opening the underground parking lot in Periyar bus stand and construction of a new bridge on West Veli Street.
He said he would look into the complaints of passengers facing difficulties in carrying luggage while walking for longer distance to railway station and coming out from railway station to take buses towards Tirupparankundram.
Deputy Commissioners of Police N. Mohanraj (Madurai North); R. Srinivasa Perumal (Madurai South); S. Arumugasamy (Traffic); and Additional Commissioner (Traffic) A. Thirumalai Kumar were present.
Published - December 19, 2022 09:17 pm IST
