PIL on using breathalysers on toll plazas,checkposts dismissed

The Madras High Court today disposed of a PIL seeking a direction to toll plazas and checkposts on national highways to use breath analyzers and compulsorily force drivers to undergo tests to prevent inebirated persons from driving vehicles.
The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice T S Sivagnanam, disposed of the PIL filed by advocate Akila.
The petitioner submitted that in 2013 alone 15,190 persons were killed in 14,165 accidents, while in 2014 15,563 people lost their lives "due to reckless opening of liquor shops and bars abutting national and state highways."
She further said government was not able to curb drunken driving because liquor is sold along national highways and state highways.

The petitioner submitted that though it was a policy decision of the government, this menace could be curbed to a large extent if breath analyzers were kept at every toll gate, using which drivers under the influence of alcohol can be prevented from driving vehicles.
The bench in its order said that if all drivers were to be made to go through such a test at the tollgate, there would be huge queues of vehicles, causing other problems.
"This, however, does not imply the government cannot use the system of random checking through breath analyzers even when somebody crosses the toll gate. To that limited extent, the authorities may look into the matter, the bench said.