The Federal Road Safety Corps on Thursday said it will intensify breathalyser testing nationwide as part of its Operation Zero campaign, commencing on December 15.
FRSC’s spokesman, Olusegun Ogungbemide, disclosed this in an interview on Thursday in Abuja.
A breathalyser test is conducted mostly by traffic officers and uses a device to measure the amount of alcohol in a person’s breath. It estimates blood alcohol concentration to determine if they are intoxicated, and is commonly used to check for drunk driving.
Mr Ogungbemide said FRSC had consistently used breathalysers to check drivers for alcohol consumption, despite public perceptions that the devices were not in use.
He said breathalysers remained an established enforcement tool for assessing drivers’ fitness, especially during the ember months when travel volume and crash risks were higher.
“The use of breathalysers has been one of the tools used by the Corps to confirm the status of drivers, either while at the park or while on transit, and this has been the tradition,” he said.
The spokesperson said that the Corps conducted targeted checks and could not test every driver on the road due to operational realities.
He noted that the tools cannot be applied to all drivers, adding that the corps had resorted to sampling.
Mr Ogungbemide said that the Corps had been monitoring driver behaviour throughout the year but would intensify checks as the festive period approaches, as drunk driving remained a major contributor to fatal crashes.
“So we are going to emphasise more as we enter this season, that is when we start Operation Zero on December 15, and I am very sure you will see more of it,” he added.
According to him, the campaign will include increased patrols, stricter monitoring at parks, and enforcement activities aimed at reducing speed violations, nighttime driving risks and alcohol-related crashes.
(NAN)
