The Police Service has announced a zero tolerance on drunk driving in its ongoing effort to curb serious road accidents and fatalities. In a statement yesterday the Police Service said it has implemented a two-pronged approach to improve safety on the nation’s roadways. The first approached is education while the second is enforcement.
The statement said in 2013 the Police Service launched its iRoadsafe campaign which outreached to tertiary level institutions to engage young drivers. During the campaign, institutions, such as the University of T&T (UTT), University of the West Indies (UWI) and the College of Science Technology and Applied Arts of T&T (Costaat), were visited.
Residents of several communities also were sensitised through initiatives that involved the use of interactive games and activities as well as through the distribution of the Police Service’s booklets about “Ticketable Road Traffic Offences”. The statement said at the end of that exercise people walked away knowing that drivers who had a breath alcohol level in excess of the legal limit of 35 microgrammes could be arrested without a warrant.
For 2014 so far, more than 600 drivers have been arrested, charged and taken before the courts for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol offences. The Traffic and Highway Patrol Branch has trained over 300 breath alcohol technicians which has bolstered the overall strength of the branch. In addition, the resources of the Traffic Branch have been improved with a new Traffic Branch, DUI and Traffic Enforcement Task Force, the statement said.
Also 20 repeat offenders were caught for the offence of DUI during roadblocks. A driver was fined $6,500 and disqualified from driving for three years. These approaches have led to a change in drivers’ behaviours since, in many cases, most drivers test either well below the limit or zero. The court imposed penalties included driving permit suspensions by magistrates.
The Police Service said officers would now arrest and charge drivers with readings of 36 and 37 micro-grammes which is just one or two micro-grammes over the legal limit. According to the statement, maxi taxi associations have also provided feedback that they receive a lot more calls for transporting people to parties, reducing the risks of DUI.