The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), in Bauchi State, has introduced a breathalyzer, a device to detect the volume of alcohol content in commercial drivers’ body systems in order to reduce the rate of Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs).
Speaking during the administration of the device on commercial drivers in Bauchi-Kano Motor Park at Awala Roundabout Bauchi on Monday, Sector Commander, FRSC Bauchi, Yusuf Abdullahi said any driver that is found guilty would not be allowed to drive.
The Commander explained that the device was not only for the detection of alcohol but any other substances that could tamper with an individual’s body system.
He said if any driver is found guilty, the corps would offer the necessary advice and also take away the vehicle from the driver from the point of contact.
“If it happens in the park, we will immediately inform your executive members that this man has some level of alcohol in his body system and for that, they should take the vehicle away from him.
“The cooperation from the transport union in Bauchi state is quite commendable and the exercise has been quite fruitful.
“One thing about the device is that the moment the body system is tampered with as a result of whatever goes in it, automatically, it’s not left out either.
“The device would detect anything within the system and that’s why we ask them to breathe in and breathe out during the test and by the time you breathe out the air in your body system, it would show that something is abnormal, be it drug or alcohol,” he said.
Mr Abdullahi said the exercise would be sustained as the machines were permanent with its road marshals, adding that the personnel would also visit parks where drivers load passengers to conduct the test.
He called on all commercial drivers to abstain from taking alcohol and other substances that could affect their state of mind behind the wheel and to always obey traffic rules and regulations.
“There are some lifestyles that can not be co-opted into the driving profession and if you must take driving as a profession, some of those negative lifestyles that contravene the traffic profession should be dropped.
“By the time we are able to do away with those lifestyles before going into the driving profession, we will adhere strictly to the driving rules and regulations and that would go a long way in boosting our performance and aid us in our driving profession,” he said.
The Sector Commander also urged passengers to always speak up whenever they realise that a driver is not obeying the traffic rules and regulations, saying this would go a long way in mitigating the level of road crashes.
Speaking, the Chairman Bauchi-Kano Motor Park, Awala Branch, Auwal Ibrahim commended the FRSC for coming up with such a ‘life-saving’ initiative.
He urged passengers in the park to always look out for the phone numbers written on their tickets to call and complain about the recklessness of any driver from the park.
WikkiTimes recalls that last week, 18 passengers were burnt to death in an accident along the Jos-Bauchi expressway.
