While safety in general and industrial safety in particular is very important, it is the lack of safety on the roads that is a major killer worldwide.

About 1.25 million people die each year on the world’s roads and between 20 and 50 million sustain non-fatal injuries. Young adults aged between 15 and 44 years account for 59% of global road traffic deaths.

This fact file presents data from the Global status report on road safety 2013, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of ‘10 fact on global road safety’. This is the second broad assessment of the road safety situation and provides the baseline for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020. The report shows that road traffic injuries remain an important public health problem despite progress in a number of countries. To reduce the number of road traffic injuries, the pace of legislative change and enforcement need to be hastened and more attention paid to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

Drinking and driving is one of the main causes of road crashes worldwide. In high-income countries about 20% of fatally injured drivers have excess alcohol in their blood, while in some low- and middle-income countries these figures may be up to 69%. Effective drinking and driving programmes have the potential to save thousands of lives, and was identified by the world report on road traffic injury prevention as a proven and effective measure to reduce death and injury on the road.

Alcohol is a mood changing legal drug that slows down the central nervous system in human beings. Studies conducted to establish the impact of alcohol on driving show how it affects the driver’s skills, mood and behaviour. Just a few drinks increase the blood alcohol concentration and as that rises, so does the risk of being in a crash. Several countries, and within countries, provinces, have framed policies and established limits for the level of alcohol in the blood.

It is against this background that the launch of Alco-Booth™, an automatic self check breath alcohol analyser, is of relevance. Developed by Mumbai-based Subtronics India, the new product “Alco-Booth” was developed in association and guidance with Mumbai Traffic Police and launched at the inaugural function of Road Safety Week – 2016 by the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis in presence of several dignitaries in the presence of the Mumbai Traffic Police department and media.

Mr Manish Poudwal, Director of Subtronics, was felicitated by the Chief Minister, for creating an innovative breath alcohol analyser “Alco-Booth”, which will help reduce the incidences of ‘Drink and Drive’ cases and hence save lives.

The Alco-Booth advocates ‘Responsible Driving’. It is a self test device, which has three indicators showing levels of intoxication. A drunk patron can use the device set up at various locations like bars, pubs, restaurants, entry/exit points, etc., to learn the blood- alcohol levels by a self test. If the reading is above the permissible limit, the instrument warns of the alcohol level in the blood and the user can call for a radio taxi or a driver through valet services whose numbers will be displayed at the booth.

Subtronics India, is an ISO 9001 certified manufacturing company having over 41 years of experience and 33 awards to their credit for their contribution to safety.

Email: service@subtronicsindia.com