Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it has stationed five breathalysers in major highways to detect any driver driving under the influence of alcohol before, during and after Yuletide.
Mr. Hyginus Omeje, the FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander, made this known to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Omeje said that officers and men of the corps were prepared for the anticipated increase in traffic along highways during the festive period.
He said that the personnel would be deployed to various corridors to ensure free flow of traffic.
“We are very much prepared for the anticipated increase in traffic on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other corridors in the state.
“We have about five breathalyzers to deploy to Lagos-Ibadan, Lekki-Epe and Badagry Expressways to test drivers driving under influence of alcohol.
“Some personnel will be posted to Mowe-Ibafo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway so that our presence can be visible in term of traffic control and enforcement,” Omeje said.
The FRSC chief appealed to stakeholders in the transport sector to donate more breathalyzers to the corps to assist it in its routine patrol.
According to him, the gadget will prove beyond reasonable doubt that the driver is driving under the influence of a substance.
“We will randomly pick drivers and test them with the use of breathalyzer to know if they are drunk.
“The gadget has ability to store data and print out the result at the same time with the capacity to store about 1000 data at the same time.
“The print out will be tendered at the law court as evidence where the offenders will be prosecuted,” he said.
Omeje warned that any driver caught driving under alcoholic influence might end up his journey at the point of arrest.
He advised drivers to shun drinking alcohol and banned substances before driving, saying that most accidents were caused by speeding due to various influences.
“We are not preaching a new gospel, but there is need to lay more emphasis on alcohol and speeding because these are the major risk factors responsible for crashes during ember months,” Omeje said.
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