Alarmed by a sharp plunge in drunk-driving cases after they stopped using breathalysers over Covid fears, traffic cops have decided to send motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol for blood tests. With just a few days to go for Christmas and the New Year, the department will launch a special drive to take action against drunk-drivers, said officials.

The drive will continue till January 1, 2022. This time around last year, drunk driving cases had dropped by 90 per cent compared to the previous year. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the traffic department stopped using breathalysers resulting in minimal action against intoxicated motorists. This led to drunk- driving cases falling to a mere 35 on new year’s eve in 2020 against 778 in 2019—about 95 per cent.