Police troubled by increase in drunk driving

The police are warning drivers to follow the road rules especially those regarding alcohol and speeding.

In a statement on Sunday, the police said there was a troubling trend where police observed an increase in the number of drivers found exceeding the legal alcohol limit.

It said, “Over the past 48 hours, three persons were arrested for driving under the influence, while officers were conducting routine traffic stop-and-search exercises along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, Uriah Butler Highway and the Sir Solomon Hochoy Highway.”

It added that the police noticed a significant upsurge in cases of drivers being arrested for driving under the influence.

“The legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit in Trinidad and Tobago is 35 micrograms of alcohol to 100 millilitre of breath. However, numerous drivers have been detected far above this threshold, endangering their lives and those of others on the road,” the statement said.

The drunk-driving spike also coincided with an increase in road traffic deaths in 2024, it said.

“The TTPS (TT Police Service) is deeply concerned about the safety of all road users and will be intensifying its efforts to curb these preventable deaths,” it added.