Kolkata: Delays in updating software and non-calibration of breathalysers have reportedly been throwing up questionable readings during the anti-drink driving checks at night, prompting police to clean, re-adjust and update software on 200 devices. Police said they were trying to ensure that each of the 20 traffic guards in the city had at least four proper breathalysers.
A tender for calibrations of 200 devices has been floated ahead of the festive season, when police keep an especially close watch against drink-driving. Re-calibration is usually required after a year or 5,000 tests but breathalysers used every day need re-alignments more frequently. For now, police planned to re-calibrate the devices at least twice or thrice a year at traffic guards, which reported higher drink-driving cases.
The sensors of breathalisers were damaged, said police, by “too much foreign residue” from motorists blowing into the pipes. “This will help us file accurate data in courts,” said the OC of a north Kolkata traffic guard.