Oyo Government To Prosecute 25 Over Drunk-Driving

No fewer than 25 people, caught driving under the influence of alcohol, are to be prosecuted by the Oyo State government.

This is consequent upon the recent decision of the government to conduct alcohol breath test on any driver that violates traffic regulations in the State, especially during the ember months, to control the rate of road carnage.

The Oyo State Road Transport Management Authority, (OYRTMA), announced this at the Operational Headquarters of the Authority at the weekend in Ibadan, where its Executive Chairman, Dr Akin Fagbemi, posited that the arrest of the drunk-drivers was in tandem with the mandate of the Authority in its continuous bid to curb avoidable road crashes occasioned by the reckless driving culture of drunk drivers of both commercial and private vehicles.

Fagbemi disclosed that, “Between 2000hours and 2300hours of Friday, 27th December 2019 only, we impounded about five trailers and three cars whose drivers were either caught drinking alcohol while driving or driving while already drunk along the Ring-Road, Iwo-Road, Moniya and Ogbomoso axis of the State.”

He explained that was made possible with the aid of modern stop and test alcohol detection device provided by the State Government, noting that the Authority had for several months carried out an extensive campaign against drunk-driving in Oyo State in both virtual, social, print and non-print media channels before the beginning of the ember months and the festive period.

The Executive Chairman affirmed, “We have warned all drivers within the State, no matter how highly placed, to shun the lethal temptation of consuming alcohol and driving, as this had been identified as an act capable of causing fatal road crashes that often times not only affects the drunk drivers but also innocent passengers and other road users, particularly children, women and other vulnerable in the society.”

“It was in lieu of the foregoing that we announced the commencement of our Special Operations ‘Stop and Test’ to ascertain if a driver suspected to be driving against traffic, over-speeding, making illegal U-turn, illegal parking, making phone calls or driving recklessly on the highways was drunk or under the uncontrollable influence of alcohol or its derivatives and close substitutes,” Fagbemi said.

He disclosed further that the twenty-five individuals accused of drunk-driving would from Monday be charged to the Mobile Magistrate Court of the State Government for fair hearing and anyone confirmed guilty would be disciplined according to the dictates of the State’s enabling laws and traffic rules