Drunk driving: Oyo may begin breath test for drivers

By Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan

Oyo State government said it will soon begin breath test to ascertain if drivers are drunk while driving or not.

The move, according to government, is to reduce the rate of accidents caused by drunk driving among drivers which usually lead to loss of lives, properties and huge damage to government facilities and infrastructures.

Government is also warning club owners across the state to create convenient parking spaces for their customers or encourage them to desist from indiscriminate parking that is leading to unnecessary traffic gridlock across the state.

The government made the disclosures through the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority (OYRTMA), Dr. Akin Fagbemi, while showing to the press a recovered truck from robbers at the Akinyele area of the state.

Fagbemi, who added that three suspects nabbed in relation to the crime are already in police custody, also advised motorists to be security conscious while parking their vehicles and also desist from drinking and driving.

Read Also: What Oyo govt plans to do on Waste management – Commissioner

Narrating what led to the arrest, The OYRTMA boss said the truck with registration number LFTZ FZE 104 LA was recovered when his officers engaged the drivers on the genuineness of the ownership and why it had been parked by the road side for some time.

He explained that the suspects who were uncomfortable with the interrogation suddenly took to their heels while the discussion lasted, but were later caught by police whose interrogation led to the discovery of the vehicles that were actually stolen from a construction site in Lagos with the hope of selling same in Ibadan.

He reiterated the determination of the agency to ensure free flow of traffic during the festive period, stating that the mandate of his agency has been extended to ensuring safety of lives and properties of residents.