No violators were found when police in Ho Chi Minh City began a month-long inspection to manage the consumption of alcohol and drugs among car, truck, and bus drivers as well as motorcyclists across the metropolis on Tuesday.

Nearly 500 drivers and motorcyclists were pulled over for drug tests on the first day of the comprehensive inspection running from January 15 to February 15, according to the traffic police division under the municipal police department.

None of the road users tested positive for drugs, officers said on Wednesday.

From Tuesday evening to early Wednesday morning, officers were mobilized to examine drivers along National Highway 1 near the An Lac Roundabout in Binh Tan District and the section of the Hanoi Highway in Phuoc Long B Ward, District 9.

The traffic police units focused on drivers of automobiles, passenger buses, and trailer trucks that were leaving Ho Chi Minh City via these two routes.

A truck driver is given a breath alcohol test. Photo: Tuoi Tre

They were given breath alcohol tests and saliva tests for drugs.

After inspecting a total of 491 road users, officers made reports of 77 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol.

Eleven of the violators were car, truck, and bus drivers while the other were motorcyclists.

About eight other truck drivers were fined for traveling on banned streets. No one tested positive for drugs.

Similar patrols will take between 6:00 pm and 2:00 am on a daily basis throughout the month-long campaign.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Hoi, who led the team of officers on the Hanoi Highway, it is a good sign that no drivers were discovered using stimulants on the first day of the inspection.

A saliva screening test used to check drug users. Photo: Tuoi Tre

However, as information about the comprehensive inspection had been publicized before the campaign started, business ownewrs must have tasked their most competent drivers with steering the vehicles, Hoi said.

At some points during the campaign, officers will focus on examining drivers at the Mien Tay (Western) Bus Station in Binh Tan District, Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station in Binh Thanh District, and Cat Lai Port in District 2 by performing clinical urine tests.

“The results will be more accurate by then,” Lt. Col. Hoi remarked.

Police in Thu Duc District last weekend conducted a small-scale inspection of trailer truck drivers and their assistants in Truong Tho Ward, with seven people testing positive for drugs after undergoing clinical urine tests. 

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