'Drunk Driving' Crackdown Outside Vehicles... Police Pilot Non-Contact Detectors

Increasing Trend of Drunk Driving Traffic Accidents Amid COVID-19 Crisis
Detecting Alcohol Consumption Through Driver's Window
If Drunk, Lamp Flashes and Warning Sound Activates

The 'contactless detector' used by the police for drunk driving checks. / Provided by the National Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The police will conduct drunk driving crackdowns using a 'contactless detector' to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

The National Police Agency announced on the 19th that starting from the 20th, it will pilot a drunk driving crackdown using a contactless detector that can detect alcohol consumption without the driver having to blow into a device.

When COVID-19 began to spread, the police stopped mass checkpoint-style drunk driving crackdowns from January 28 this year and switched to selective crackdowns on suspected drunk driving vehicles. However, the number of drunk driving traffic accidents and fatalities increased compared to previous years. In fact, from January to March this year, the number of drunk driving accidents rose by 24.4% year-on-year to 4,101 cases, and the number of fatalities increased by 6.8% to 79.

The detector developed by the police this time is a revolutionary method that uses a rod to detect alcohol consumption through the driver’s window. While the detector is turned on, it is positioned about 30 cm away from the driver for 5 seconds. If alcohol is detected, the detector’s lamp flashes and a warning sound is emitted. Notably, since police officers do not need to insert their arms into the vehicle to detect alcohol, the risk of injury from fleeing vehicles during crackdowns is expected to decrease.

During the detection procedure, the police officers disinfect their hands and wear masks, and the detector is covered with a disposable cover to block droplets, which is replaced after each use to prevent COVID-19 infection risk. The detection rod is also disinfected frequently, and after detection, antibacterial tissues are provided to the driver to support disinfecting the inside of the vehicle.

The National Police Agency plans to conduct a pilot operation for one week, analyze and supplement the results, and then promote nationwide expansion. A National Police Agency official said, "Even amid the COVID-19 situation, we will actively work to raise drivers’ awareness through various methods of drunk driving crackdowns and protect the precious lives of the public from drunk driving accidents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.