Traffic Police Ensures That Mechanizers Do Not Drink While Harvesting

The drivers are checked twice a day.

Since the beginning of the grain harvest in Minsk region there has been no case of the traffic police detaining a driver in a state of intoxication for the second time, Minsk region traffic police chief Mikhail Akulich told reporters on August 1.

Mikhail Akulich explained this result by the fact that the region started to check the drivers twice: at the beginning and at the end of the day, - Radio Svaboda reports.

"We analyzed the previous violations and saw that the largest amount of alcohol consumption was in the period from 14.00 to 16.00. The mechanics believed that their working day was over and they were allowing themselves to "whip off". Therefore, we insisted that they be checked twice: not only in the morning when they leave the garages, but also in the evening when they return from work. And it had effect," - the traffic police chief said.

He also stressed that the share of traffic accidents involving agricultural machinery against the background of all accidents is only 0.8%. There has never been such a low figure before.

When asked whether this practice applies to other regions of Belarus, Mikhail Akulich replied: "Perhaps, they are trying to do it in some regions. But I can say for sure that such checks are not carried out as systematically and consistently as in our region."