Police need breathalysers

POLICE officers attending to accident scenes need to have breathalysers to test drivers to determine whether to charge them for driving under the influence.
Boroko Traffic division officer-in-charge Joseph Salle told The National that police personnel needed evidence to prove in court that a driver, at the time of the accident, was under the influence.
He said traffic officers and other police officers working in the public safety division needed to be equipped with breathalysers.
“Drivers can deny in court that they were under the influence of liquor at the time of the accident,” he said.
“With the increasing technology, such devices are important tools for police operations.”
Salle said according to his records, more than five traffic accidents, both minor and serious, were reported to the police every day. He said the reported cases only accounted for a small number of accidents.
He said accidents happened because of drivers ignorance to traffic rules and signs and negligence.
He added that drivers needed to understand the emergency signals of the emergency vehicles that include the police, ambulance and fire vehicles.
Salle was referring to an accident that happened last week involving a taxi and a police vehicle. He said the police vehicle was in pursuit of a stolen motor vehicle and had its siren on when they passed the traffic light at Ward Strip Drive at Waigani.
The taxi did not give way but drove on and hit the police vehicle.
The taxi driver was arrested and charged under Section 32 of the Road Traffic Authority Act for failing to make way for emergency vehicles.