16 drunk drivers discovered during silent night campaign
Traffic police officers in Songjiang District set up a roadblock to check passing drivers on Monday night.
Shanghai traffic police said they discovered 16 drunk drivers and 55 drivers driving after drinking during a citywide campaign to crack down on such offenses on Monday night.
In Yangpu District, a drunk driver fell asleep in the middle of Guohe Road near Sanmen Road at 8:50pm and was found to have 159mg/100ml of alcohol in his blood, police said.
In China, the blood alcohol level for driving after drinking is 20mg/100ml, or 80mg/100ml and above to be considered drunk driving.
In Minhang District, at the intersection of Hongmei Road S. and Shuangbai Road where police set up a roadblock to check drivers, officers found two people in one car had switched seats by the time they stopped at the checkpoint. Both were drunk — one had a blood alcohol level of 151mg/100ml and the other 178mg/100ml.
Police said the citywide crackdown on drunk driving will continue on Tuesday and then on the coming New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
In China, motorists who drive after drinking are fined 1,000 to 2,000 yuan (US$145 to 290) and have their licenses suspended for six months, and drunk drivers will have their driving licenses revoked and be banned from getting a new license within the next five years. Those who cause traffic accidents face criminal charges.
