Lagos State Government has said it would prosecute and jail any
motorist found to be driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in
the state. The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris who
disclosed this at a news briefing yesterday said 441 drivers tested
positive to marijuana and cocaine in the screening recently conducted by
the state government.
He explained that the state government was not relenting in educating
drivers on dangers associated with consumption of alcohol while
driving. “So far we have screened 2002 drivers with the following
results obtained. 781 were found to be driving under the influence of
alcohol. 601 were found to be hypertensive.
441 were positive to psychotropic drugs, especially cocaine and
marijuana. 940 were screened for visual impairment and 13 percent had to
be given special glasses,” he added. Idris noted that as a result of
the far-reaching consequences of driving under such influences, the
state government had no option than to invoke Section 21, Sub-section 1
of the state traffic law which prescribed a conviction fine of N100,000
or two years imprisonment or both on the offenders.
The commissioner who
pointed out that road accidents had become a major cause of deaths in
the country, lamented that the state government could not achieve the
desired health indices if it ignored the menace of deaths by road
accidents.
He said, “alcohol and substance abuse have been documented as a cause
of road traffic accidents and several studies have shown that an
intoxicated driver is a danger to himself, his passengers and other road
users.” Idirs said a major breakthrough was recently recorded in the
sensitisation campaigns in the motor parks against irresponsible driving
with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with Guinness Nigeria
Plc.
He added that the partnership by both parties was geared towards
changing people’s attitude to alcohol to reduce menace of harmful
consumption of alcoholic beverages. In his remarks, the state
Commissioner for Transport, Kayode Opeifa, lamented the number of
accidents recorded mostly over the weekend on Lagos roads caused by
excessive drinking by motorists.
The commissioner revealed that government was focusing on motor parks
to make the awareness campaign effective because of its involvement in
mass transportation of people to various destinations within and outside
the state. He reiterated that the new road traffic law was meant to
return sanity and ensure discipline among road users.
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