COVID-19 fear leads to violation of drink-driving law

By Nayak Paudel
Kathmandu, Apr. 16: It was around 11:40 pm on Wednesday, the New Year Day, when the Metropolitan Police Circle, Thimi, dispatched a team under Police Inspector Indra Mani Adhikari towards S.S. Chowk of Ward 4 of Madhyapur Thimi Municipality after it received information about a road accident there.
A motorcycle (Baa 53 Pa 6938) had hit the railing on the side of the Araniko Highway, injuring its two riders seriously.The motorcycle was heading to Kathmandu from Bhaktapur.
According to the Metropolitan Police Range, Bhaktapur, the officers had rushed injured motorcycle driver Mahendra Shah, 22, and pillion rider Mahesh Shah, 32, to Madhyapur Hospital for treatment.
“The doctors proclaimed pillion rider Mahesh dead at around 11:50 pm. Motorcycle rider Mahendra is receiving treatment at the hospital,” reads a press-statement issued by Bhaktapur Police on Thursday.
Police investigation found that drink-driving had led to the fatal accident. According to the police, the motorcycle went out of control and hit the railing as its driver was under the influence of alcohol.
“Driving under the influence of alcohol is highly risky but still many tend to violate the restriction of drink and drive,” said Superintendent of Police (SP) Shyam Krishna Adhikari, who is also spokesperson of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division.
The Division said the police are facing difficulties in implementing the checking of Ma.Pa.Se (drink and drive) due to COVID-19 fear. Moreover, people are found taking advantage of the pandemic by driving under the influence of alcohol.
“When traffic personnel ask drivers to blow into the machine used to check Ma.Pa.Se, they start arguing, citing COVID-19 pandemic. They argue that they do not blow into the machine because they fear the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This has affected the proper implementation of drink-driving (Ma.Pa.Se) checking,” said SP Adhikari.
In Chitwan, a motorcyclist died in an accident on Wednesday. The motorcycle (Naa 42 Pa 6138) driven by 40-year-old Dipendra Chaudhary went out of control and met the accident at Ward 26 of Bharatpur Metropolitan City.
Chaudhary was rushed to Old Medical College but died on the way. Pillion rider Anil Mahato, 22, who had sustained major injuries, is receiving treatment at the same hospital.
According to a police officer at the District Traffic Police Office, Chitwan, Chaudhary was driving under the influence of alcohol.
“Implementing the drink and drive law has been difficult here as well. People start arguing that blowing into a machine by several drivers will transmit COVID-19 virus in a bid to avoid fine for violating drink and drive rule. We, however, have been checking Ma.Pa.Se by abiding by health safety measures strictly,” said an officer at Chitwan Traffic Police under the condition of anonymity as he was unauthorised to speak to the media.
While people have been flouting the drink and drive law, traffic police have requested the public to use different means of transport or ask someone, who isn’t drunk, to take them back home.
Police officers in different districts, with whom The Rising Nepal spoke to, informed that many of the road accidents on the day of Nepali New Year had occurred because of drink-driving. Nevertheless, the traffic police informed that they were conducting Ma.Pa.Se checking abiding by health safety measures and urged the drivers to cooperate with them by following the traffic rules.