Police in Wuhan, Hubei province, seize a female carpool driver driving under the influence of drugs on night of June 25, 2015.(Photo/www.cnhubei.com)
(ECNS) - Wuhan police have been using saliva tests to catch drivers under the influence of drugs. Multiple drivers and passengers have been caught red-handed, including one female carpool driver.
The crackdown began last Thursday night and ended in the early hours of Friday in Wuhan city, capital of Central China's Hubei province. Equipped with saliva test papers, 15 police officers divided into three teams, setting up checkpoints along one street.
Around 1am on Friday, a female carpool driver known by the alias Zhang Jing was caught driving under the influence of drugs. Carpool software was running on Zhang's cell phone, clearly showing the trip's starting point, destination, distance and fees.
Initially, Zhang challenged the police and said she was unable to go to the toilet to provide a blood test. However, she was shocked when police said they would test for drugs by using a saliva sample.
Zhang's test came back positive five minutes after the sample was supplied. Zhang admitted that she had signed up as a carpool driver in early 2015, working overtime after regular work was finished. Zhang became exhausted after consistent late nights and resorted to taking drugs to cope. "I would take a few (drugs) every night before driving. Otherwise I couldn't keep it up."
In addition, two men, including one driver, were caught on the road after taking drugs. Another male passenger in a taxi also tested positive for drugs. All three men, as well as Zhang, were arrested, according to local police on Saturday. The two DUI drivers also had their licenses suspended.
One piece of saliva test paper can detect up to three types of drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine and morphine.
By October 2013, 2,142 divers in Wuhan had their licenses suspended for driving under the influence of drugs, according to official data.
