Beijing Morning Post (Chief Reporter Bin Wang) - On the night of Chinese New Year's Eve, a drunk driving accident claimed four lives. And on the first day of the New Year, drivers were still taking the risk of driving under the influence. In a mere 10-minute period during the Dongdan Traffic Team's night check, three drivers who had been drinking were caught. One of them was in a rush to send his father-in-law to catch a train. While the traffic police dealt with the driver, they sent the elderly man to the train station in a police car, leaving the driver convinced and obedient.
At 11 p.m. the previous evening near Jianguomen Bridge South, the Dongdan Traffic Team's night patrol began stopping passing vehicles to check if the drivers had been drinking. Sure enough, at 11:10 p.m., the first drunk driver was caught. The driver admitted that he had been visiting relatives for the holiday celebration and got carried away drinking alcohol. "Aren't you guys resting for the holiday?" the driver asked the officers curiously.
Not long after, this driver found himself a "companion" - another driver was caught after drinking at a gathering. Both had an alcohol content of over 20 milligrams per hundred milliliters of blood, which reached the standard for drunk driving.
As these two were being processed, another driver was caught for drunk driving. He told the officers that he had been drinking with his father-in-law that evening. His father-in-law was rushing to catch an 11:40 p.m. train back to his hometown in Liaoning, so he drove him to Beijing Station. By this time, it was already 11:20 p.m., and the train was about to depart. Taking the driver's predicament into consideration, one officer stayed behind to handle the situation while Officer Zhang Long drove the father-in-law to the train station.
"Drunk driving causes trouble, and this is a real example," said the traffic police. During the holiday when family and friends gather, one should not take chances because once an accident happens, there will be lifelong regret.
Chief photography reporter Ning Wu / photograph