DUI: 441 Lagos drivers test positive to cocaine, marijuana

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.