Tear gas, spike strips to be used on drunk drivers

(Xinhua)

Updated: 2011-05-06 13:06

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BEIJING - Beijing police are stepping up their efforts to cut down on drunk driving by using car-disabling devices and tear gas to prevent drivers from fleeing or becoming violent during drunk driving inspections, local authorities said Friday.

The 10-meter-long car-disabling device is essentially a strip of nails laid on the road and is designed to puncture the tires of would-be runaways, said a spokesman with the Beijing traffic police.

Each device is capable of covering two lanes, the spokesman said.

Police officers conducting the inspections are equipped with recorders, tear gas, health kits and handcuffs, according to the spokesman.

A newly-amended Road Traffic Safety Law took effect on May 1, stating that anyone caught drunk driving will have their driver's license revoked. Drunk drivers will also need to wait five years to apply for a new license and face a detention period of one to six months under the amended law.

However, enforcing the new law has brought more risk of confrontation to police officers, as some drunk drivers try to flee or become violent during the inspections.

In one recent case, a drunk driver in north China's Shanxi province bit the hand of a police officer in an attempt to avoid an alcohol test.