Oyo State Government has announced it will prosecute 25 offenders caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
The government has lately announced its resolve to conduct alcohol breath test on any driver that violated traffic regulations in the state, especially during the ember months, to control the rate of road carnage.
Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA) announced this at the operational headquarters of OYRTMA at the weekend in Ibadan, where its Executive Chairman, Akin Fagbemi, said the arrest of the drunk drivers was in tandem with the mandate of the authority in its continuous bid to curb avoidable road crashes occasioned by the reckless driving culture of drunk drivers of both commercial and private vehicles.
“Between 2000hours-2300hours of Friday, December 27, 2019 only, we impounded about five trailers and three cars whose drivers were either caught drinking alcohol while driving or driving while already drunk on Ring-Road, Iwo-Road, Moniya and Ogbomoso axis of the state.
“This was made possible with the aid of our modern stop and test alcohol detection device provided by the state government. Let it be known that for several months, we have carried out an extensive campaign against drunk-driving in Oyo State in both virtual, social, print and non-print media channels before the beginning of the ember months and this festive period.
“We have warned all drivers within the state, no matter how highly placed, to shun the lethal temptation of consuming alcohol and driving, as this had been identified as an act capable of causing fatal road crashes that, often times, not only affect the drunk drivers but also innocent passengers and other road users, particularly children, women and other vulnerable in the society.
“It was in lieu of the foregoing that we announced the commencement of our special operations ‘Stop and Test’ to ascertain if a driver suspected to be driving against traffic, over-speeding, making illegal U-turn, illegal parking, making phone calls or driving recklessly on the highways, was drunk or under the uncontrollable influence of alcohol or its derivatives and close substitutes,” Fagbemi said.
He disclosed further that the 25 individuals accused of drunk-driving would, from tomorrow, be charged to the Mobile Magistrate Court for fair hearing and anyone confirmed guilty would be disciplined according to the dictates of the state’s enabling laws and traffic rules.