A new law aimed at going after drunk drivers takes effect in Trinidad and Tobago Monday.It allows police to use breathalysers to check blood alcohol levels and it carries hefty fines.
A first offence carries a fine of $8,000 or imprisonment for three years. It goes up to $15,000 for a second offence with a possible prison sentence of five years and a third time would result in permanent disqualification from holding a driver's permit.
It took the Manning administration several years to get to this point. The legislation got presidential assent on June 26, 2007, but was never proclaimed.
Works minister Colm Imbert told reporters Thursday drivers would face two types of tests: one on the spot when police stop a vehicle after suspecting the driver is intoxicated and the other at a police station if necessary.
"If someone is stopped in a road block, the police can make them breathe into the hand held device used for field testing which gives a reading," the minister said. He said police can ask a driver to go to the station for a more detailed test.
One peculiar aspect of the law is that the accused must prove that she or he did not have blood alcohol levels above the legal limit.
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