Chapter 9: Mandatory testing of blood alcohol levels of drivers on Nigerian roads by L.A.D.Duru & I. B.Enweani

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Introduction
The increase in the production and consumption of alcohol, has brought serious problems on the citizenry and the economy, the transport sector being the hardest hit. Many responsible governments have introduced laws imposing legal limits on the amount of alcohol that may be permissible in the blood of motorists. Nigerians are among the largest alcohol consumers in Africa and consequently Nigeria has the highest incidence of motor
accidents. The Federal Government should enact legislations to limit the level of alcohol in the blood of drivers to 50mg/100ml. Government should in addition introduce the use of modem equipment for the analysis of blood and urine samples from drivers to check frequent incidents of accidents on our roads, due to the effect of alcohol. The use of Intoximeter Mark IV is recommended.
The adverse effect of increased consumption of alcohol on the citizenry, particularly, the effect on the transport sector of the economy; has forced many responsible governments of many countries to introduce laws imposing legal limits on the amount of alcohol that may be present in the blood of motorists and motorcyclists. In Nigeria, alcohol consumption by the citizenry has increased enormously since the last decade. This has been
brought about by many sources of alcohol into the market. The production and sale of our local gin called “Ogogoro” is no longer prohibited or called illicit gin. This is very popular in Nigeria, especially within the riverine
states of Nigeria. The palm wine is tapped and sold within the Southern States. With its successful preservation and bottling it is now common in the Northern States (Duru and Anyika, 1981). With the proliferation of many
brewing industries throughout Nigeria, beer has become a common commodity especially now that the standard of living of many Nigerians has risen since the past decade. Through all these sources, Nigerians have become the largest alcohol consumers in Africa

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