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| Sunday, 2 January 2005 |
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Curbing drunkards on wheels by Jayampathy Jayasinghe The traffic police will come down hard on motorists who drive vehicles under the influence of liquor under a traffic scheme initiated by IGP Chandra Fernando. Breathalyser kits have been distributed to all police stations in the country with a view to reduce fatal accidents on highways which had claimed several lives by reckless motorists driving under the influence of liquor. This season too additional policemen have been deployed to detect drunken motorists and prosecute them in courts for violating traffic laws. Drinking and driving During the last year's festive season many have been killed or maimed by drunken motorists. The Police cannot afford to be complacent about such accidents occurring this year too. Under the guidance of DIG Traffic Administration and Safety, Gamini de Silva, Police launched a campaign almost six months ago against drunken drivers. Action had been taken to educate motorists on road safety and also to prosecute them for violating traffic laws. Meanwhile instructions had gone from Traffic Headquarters to senior police officers in charge of divisions to crack down on drunken drivers. The police will take a tough stance on motorists who violate traffic laws especially during this season. DIG, Gamini Silva said that more traffic policemen will fan out to provincial towns to track down on traffic violators. Slight decrease He said there was a slight decrease in the number of fatal accidents reported this year. The overall number of accidents too have dropped slightly when compared to last year. A campaign to rehabilitate motorists have already been launched by the Police Traffic Administration and Safety Department. The scheme had been successful with the induction of 180 Police Inspectors who have undergone extensive training in traffic management. The officers have been posted to various parts of the country to co-ordinate traffic work and to educate the public as well as motorists on traffic rules and regulations. Carelessness DIG Gamini Silva said that 25 cases of drunken drivers were detected by the police on Galle road. The action plan was launched by the Traffic Administration and Road Safety, a fortnight ago. In a separate operation launched in Ragama, Keleniya and Gurukulawa areas, 125 cases of traffic offences were detected by the police. "We have taken action to prosecute these motorists ", the DIG said. The Director of the National Hospital Colombo, Dr. Hector Weerasinghe said there wasn't a drop in road accidents reported this year when compared to last year. He attributed this to the campaign carried out by the police during the past six months. Motorists too have been cautious not to drive after consuming liquor due to tough action taken by the police, he said. Senior Superintendent of Police, City Traffic, Laffir said that most accidents occur due to carelessness of motorists who drive under the influence of liquor. "Motorists lose their sense of judgement after consuming alcohol which is dangerous for everybody. The traffic police will go all out to detect such motorists this season , he said. The statistics below show that traffic offences committed during the year 2004 had dropped to 1567665 from 16,29150. However offence related to driving under the influence of liquor had increased significantly. |
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