Shenzhen's traffic police released 10 DUI cases Monday in the latest move to remind drivers not to drive after drinking.
The cases included a driver who was caught three times in a year for driving under the influence of alcohol, a driver who fell asleep in his car which blocked morning rush hour traffic and a man whose blood alcohol content reached 372.78 mg per 100 ml, the highest this year.
In one case Oct. 18, a female driver, surnamed Ye, was caught on Beihuan Boulevard driving under the influence. Ye said she had quarrelled with her boyfriend on the phone and she went drinking with her friends at a restaurant. Her blood alcohol content reached 157 mg/100 ml, nearly double the legal limit.
Some of the DUI cases caused fatal accidents.
A drunk driver surnamed Zeng killed one and injured three other pedestrians in an accident in Pingdi, Longgang District, on Oct. 10. Zeng fled the scene of the accident but was soon caught by police. His blood alcohol content was 87.27 mg/100 ml, surpassing the legal limit for drunk driving.
Another driver, identified as Liu, hit a bicycle rider on Yanhe Road in Luohu District on May 28, killing the rider. Liu’s blood alcohol content reached 193.38 mg/100 ml.
“The DUI drivers are mostly between the ages of 30 and 49, and they have poor law and safety awareness and often want to try their luck,” said Feng Xinyi, deputy director with the traffic police bureau, Monday.
Statistics show police checked 12,953 DUI cases between January and November, and caught 5,361 drunk drivers. The time period between 10 p.m. Friday and 2 a.m. Saturday saw the most DUI violations.
Police efforts regarding DUI violations have helped reduce the number of accidents. Figures show that the city reported 1,042 DUI-related accidents between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. over the past 11 months, a decrease of 5.96 percent over the same period last year.
DUI-related fatal accidents have dropped by 10 percent to 27 so far this year.
According to the law, people who drive while their blood alcohol content is between 20 mg/100 ml and 80 mg/100 ml will face fines between 1,000 yuan (US$151) and 2,000 yuan and have their driver’s license suspended for six months.
If their alcohol content is at or above 80 mg/100 ml, the driver is committing a crime and will be disqualified from driving for five years as well as facing a jail term between 1 and 6 months. If the drunk driver causes a major accident, the driver will be criminally prosecuted and disqualified from driving for life.
