Police have arrested two persons, including a public bus driver, for driving under the influence from Satdobato area of Lalitpur.

SSP Rajendra Prasad Bhatta, spokesperson for Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, said the offenders were caught riding a motorcycle and driving a public bus under the influence of prescription drugs during special checking. Those taken into police custody have been identified as Chandraman Rai of Okhaldhunga, the driver of the public bus bearing number plate Ba 5 Kha 5975, and motorcycle rider Saroj GC of Godawari.

A joint team of the KVTPO, technicians of Nepal Police Hospital, Narcotics Control Bureau and Police Circle Satdobato had conducted drug test on 25 vehicle drivers and motorcyclists. Of them, one public bus driver and one motorcycle rider were found to have been involved in impaired driving.

The window of time to detect drug in blood is very small as the drug gets absorbed into the bloodstream within a few minutes after consumption. Traffic police had taken the help of technicians of Nepal Police Hospital to detect drug traces in the drivers/riders. According to police, psychoactive substances, cannabis and prescription drugs are used by riders, mainly youths.

Traffic police had launched a crackdown on impaired driving in July. Traffic police have warned that persons driving under the influence of drugs are more vulnerable to road accident. Psychoactive substance and prescription drugs cause drowsiness, dizziness, and impaired thinking and judgement of the persons concerned, thereby leading to fatal road accidents. Impaired driving has emerged as a serious road safety issue in urban areas, including Kathmandu valley. The rise in drug smuggling also corroborates this.

With the increasing report of drug abuse in the valley, the KVTPO said it had stepped up vigilance to nab persons driving under the influence of narcotics. Youths are the target group for drug testing. "Driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol not only leads to road accidents but also are detrimental to health," warned SSP Bhatta.