“In five counties of the country, we not only checked the sobriety of drivers, but also educated them by distributing disposable breathalyzers. For some drivers, such a method of self-control and a preventive measure is new,” says Inga Šablinskienė, head of the 1st subdivision of the Road Police Department of the Vilnius County Chief Police Commissariat of the Lithuanian Police.
Lithuanians still get drunk behind the wheel, especially during long weekends. Therefore, on such days, police patrols on the streets are strengthened, and a larger force of officers is concentrated in them. However, in order to solve this problem from the ground up, the most important thing is public education.
“Changes in society can only be brought about by consistent education of the population. Therefore, for the second time, together with the Lithuanian police, we distributed disposable breathalyzers to residents. The first social action took place at the Sea Festival held in Klaipėda, and this time – checking the sobriety of drivers during raids in 5 counties of Lithuania (Vilnius, Šiauliai, Utena, Marijampolė and Alytus). During this campaign, 1,000 disposable Testera breathalyzers were distributed. After all, when we drive drunk, we risk not only our own lives, but also those of others. So by checking your sobriety, we can prevent accidents on the roads”, says Sigita Kniūkštienė, sales development manager of the self-control test brand “Testera”.
One cup damage
Last year’s traffic accidents that ended tragically were mainly caused by drunken or intoxicated drivers of passenger cars and four-wheeled motorcycles, as well as cyclists.
“Some often give in to the persuasion of friends or family members, others decide to drink an “innocent” glass of alcohol themselves, and very soon they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. After all, there are those who think that such a quantity of intoxicating drinks does not disturb their coordination and ability to drive safely”, says I. Šablinskienė.
However, the reality is quite different. Even the next morning, after such an amount of alcohol, one feels tired, sleepy, and weak. According to the doctor, all this poses a risk to safe driving. And such a feeling after drinking alcohol is determined by poor quality sleep.
“Even just one glass of alcohol reduces the all-important time of deep sleep. What about larger quantities of intoxicating drinks. Therefore, when a person wakes up the next day, he often feels uncoordinated and weak. In addition, even a small amount of intoxicating drinks unbalances the electrolyte balance of the human body, then the body becomes dehydrated. And all this affects the driver’s reaction and his emotional state”, says family doctor Irmantas Aleksa.
During the first six months of this year, the most traffic accidents due to the fault of drunk drivers were recorded in Vilnius county – 31 percent. Elsewhere, the numbers are somewhat lower: Kaunas – 19 percent, Klaipėda and Šiauliai – 9 percent each, Panevėžys – 8 percent, Alytus – 7 percent, Utena, Tauragė and Marijampolė – 5 percent each, and Telšiai County – 2 percent. . traffic accidents are the fault of drunk drivers, data from the Lithuanian police show.
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2024-08-18 13:16:52
