The Traffic Department anxious to get breathalyzers to help to reduce accidents

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and Head of the Traffic Department Rodney Ellis is speaking about the need for breathalyzers to assist in detecting whether someone is too intoxicated to be behind the wheel taking into account the number of road accidents in recent times.

It has been four years since legislation was passed in an effort to reduce serious accidents and road fatalities.

A shipment of breathalyzer test machines was expected to arrive in the country in late 2018 early 2019 as the Traffic Department was expected to use this new tool to aid in doing its work as a result of the enactment of The Vehicles and Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2018.

Ellis now sees an urgent need for these machines since there have been too many accidents, some serious and at least four fatal since the commencement of the year.

While carelessness plays a major role in the causes, intoxication is also a factor, Ellis says.

COVID-19 was blamed as one of the reasons why the machines have not yet arrived on the island and Ellis is unable to say when the shipment will arrive.

The penalties for drunk driving under the Act are very hefty and once the police suspects that a person might be driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs they will be issued with a breathalyzer test.