Karachi traffic police set to get 90 breathalysers to discourage drunk driving.

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.

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