Hundreds of motorists were on Friday night caught unaware after the police reinstated roadblocks in various parts of the city to impose the mandatory breathalyser tests.
A breathalyser measures how much alcohol is in the air you breathe out and its return is a chilling revelation to the partakers of the one too many for the road.
The device is used on the roads by the police to judge the suitability of a motorist to drive on the road safely without endangering the lives of other motorists and pedestrians.
Police mounted roadblocks on major city roads where hundreds were arrested.
From Gitanga Road to Jogoo Road and Utawala area, social media was abuzz with people warning each other not to drink and drive as they will be arrested.
Motorists were stopped and subjected to a breathalyzer test where those found to have exceeded the minimum level were arrested.
Those found drunk-driving risk a fine not exceeding Sh100,000 or a jail term of not more than two years or both.
The last time alcoblow was on Kenyan roads was five years ago after the Court of Appeal declared the use of breathalysers on Kenyan roads illegal.
On June 21, 2022, former President Uhuru Kenyatta signed into law the Traffic (Amendment) Bill by Tiaty MP William Kamket, an improvement to the parent law following a directive by the Court of Appeal in 2017, and set July 11, 2022, as its commencement date.
“A person who, when driving or attempting to drive, or in charge of a motor vehicle on a road or other public place is under the influence of an alcoholic drink or a drug beyond the prescribed limits, shall be guilty of an offence,” the new law reads.
A breathalyser is used on the roads by the police to judge the suitability of a motorist to drive on the road safely without endangering the lives of other motorists and pedestrians.
The law requires that no driver should handle a motor vehicle if he or she has consumed alcohol in excess of 35 micrograms in 100 millilitres of breath, 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath and 107 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of urine.
To test the level of drunkenness in a motorist, one is required to blow into the gadget that has three colours- green, orange/ yellow and red.
If it returns green, you are sober.
Orange means you have taken alcohol but within limits.
Red means that your level of intoxication is high and cannot, therefore, control the car safely without endangering other road users.
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