But the crackdown has some rough sides that we believe need to be smoothened. From the way checks against drink-driving are being conducted, it appears the traffic police are attempting to do a lot more than just control drink-driving. The zero-tolerance policy that the traffic police have adopted seems to be aimed at controlling drinking itself and at establishing a society of teetotalers. The traffic police are surely acting beyond their jurisdiction here. Without setting legal limits on alcohol consumption for motorists, the cops are operating under the assumption that driving after consuming any quantity of alcohol is punishable. Social drinkers who have never had drinking-related trouble and would probably never have in future are being made to face the first drinking-related problem in the form of having to deal with cops, pay fines and return home with an embarrassing DUI record.
The methods traffic police are employing to ascertain whether a motorist is able to drive are also unbecoming of a civilized state. Motorists are being asked to breathe out while cops try to detect alcohol consumption from the smell of the exhalation. Relying on the olfactory sense is a very primitive way of identifying a possible threat to road traffic safety. The method is unfair on the cops who must feel disgusted employing their nasal cavities to do the job that a breathalyzer is supposed to do.
While strict and regular policing of DUI is important, the ongoing drive clearly lacked adequate planning. The zero-tolerance drive has hit the social life of residents of the metropolis. Restaurant sales have gone down by as much as 40 percent since the drive started on Dec 2. We urge MTPD to come up with legal drinking limits for drivers, and equip cops with breathalyzers. And we seek immediate end to olfactory policing. Instead, asking drivers to walk on a straight line would be a more scientific and accurate way to ascertain whether they are capable of driving safely.
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