KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 9

Traffic police have taken action against 31 school bus drivers for driving under the influence since the authorities launched rigorous breathalyser test targeting the vehicles transporting schoolchildren on August 15. The drivers booked by traffic police were assigned to pick and drop the students of schools such as Ideal Model School, Kautilya School, Modern Indian School, LRI School, Chelsea International School, Omega Secondary School, Times International College, Triyog High School, Radiant Public School, and Orient East Montessori, among others.

It was as part of traffic campaign for transport safety of schoolchildren. Earlier traffic police had left the school buses alone in anti-DUI drive in Kathmandu valley. Senior Superintendent of Police Rajendra Prasad Bhatta at Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police informed that the school bus drivers, with children on the board, had tested positive during the alcometer check on the way to drop the children in schools before 9:00am. Testing positive for drink-driving even in the morning indicates that some of the drivers are alcoholic. He said that on-duty traffic cops informed the school administrations concerned and arranged alternative drivers for transporting the children. Traffic police warned that driving at an inebriated state would not only put the lives at risk not only of the children on the board but also of pedestrians and other vehicles.

Despite the ban on drink-driving, many drivers continue to violate the rules. Anti-DUI is one of the sustained campaigns being conducted by traffic police. The campaign still continues ever since it was launched on 3 December 2011. The existing law does not say anything about alcohol limit and thus the law enforcement agency has adopted zero tolerance policy towards drink-driving. Traffic police punishes each offender of drink-driving with a fine of Rs 1,000, in addition to making him/her attend a 30-minute road safety awareness class before returning the driving licence held by them.

Similarly, traffic police recommend the transport management office concerned to suspend the licences of driver if he/she is caught driving under the influence for the sixth time. According to section 60 of Motor Vehicle and Transport Management Act-1993, if a driver violates traffic rules for more than five times, concerned authority may suspend the driving licence of such drivers.

A version of this article appears in the print on September 10, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.