LTO awaits breath analyzers for CV

CEBU, Philippines - The Land Transportation Office-7 is now waiting for the arrival of breath analyzers in order to fully implement the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act in Central Visayas.

LTO-7 regional director Arnel Tancinco said that he requested 63 breath analyzers for region-7 and majority of them will be for Cebu.

“So far wa pa maabot ang breath analyzers. Inig abot ato, we will prepare for at least one week before implementation,” Tancinco said yesterday.

Republic Act 10586 or the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act provides stiffer penalties for drivers caught under the influence of liquor or drugs while driving.

The IRR provides that an allowable blood alcohol limit is below 0.05 percent for most drivers while public utility vehicles drivers should not have any amount of alcohol in their blood.

Under the IRR, an apprehended driver who is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol will be subjected to three field sobriety tests.

The tests include the eye test, which requires the driver to follow with his gaze an object that the law enforcer moves around one foot away from the driver’s face, and the walk-and-turn test, which requires the driver to walk nine steps heading different ways without difficulty.

The driver would also undergo the one-leg stand test, which requires the driver to stand on one leg and raise the other around six inches from the ground for about sixty seconds.

The Department of Transportation and Communication, in an earlier statement, said that if the driver passes these tests, he will be apprehended for his traffic violation only, and not for violation of RA 10586.

In case, however, that the driver fails any of the three tests, he will then be subjected to an Alcohol Breath Analyzer Test, which will verify whether the driver violated the blood alcohol level limits.

It added that driver found to have a higher blood alcohol level than the prescribed limits will be arrested and his vehicle will be impounded. If he is found to be within the allowed limits, he will be apprehended for his traffic violation only.

The law likewise provides penalties from a minimum of three-month imprisonment and P20,000 fine, to a maximum of a 20-year imprisonment and P500,000 fine. —(FREEMAN)