MOTORISTS caught drunk driving will face up to six months in detention from next month when a new traffic rule becomes effective making drunk driving a crime.
The new rule was approved by the city government Feb. 25. It states drunk drivers face being detained for at least one month and have a criminal offense recorded, the Southern Metropolis Daily said.
The penalty of staying in a detention center for 15 days under the current rule is an administrative punishment for drunk driving, which will become a criminal offense under the new rule, said Chen Zhengta, a professor at the law school at Shenzhen University.
Chen said the criminal offense would remain on the offender s record for the rest of his life, creating a negative impact on seeking employment and applying for a private passport.
A drunk driver is now subject to a fine of 5,000 yuan (US$758) in addition to 15 day s detention and having his driver s license suspended for six months. A motorist caught driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI) but not yet drunk will have his driver s license suspended for three months as well as a 1,000-yuan fine.
The tougher new rule is aimed at halting DUI which has been blamed for a number of fatal road accidents. City traffic police have started a regular road campaign to crack down on DUI. In an action late Friday to early Saturday morning, 12 motorists were caught drunk driving while 47 others were found to have been driving under the influence.
Traffic police figures showed that 1,884 motorists had been detained for 15 days for drunk driving from Aug. 15, 2009 when the DUI crack campaign started to Feb. 17 this year. A total of 5,640 DUI drivers had been caught during the same period.
(SD News)
