This season, motorists may be stopped at random and asked to count fingers shown by a traffic cop or walk in a straight line to check whether they are drunk or not.

The old and familiar tests may not be the best, but there are few alternatives to curb drink driving at a time the use of breathalysers has been ruled out because of Covid-19.

If anyone is found faltering at the manual tests on the road, cops will ask him or her to accompany them to hospital for an alcohol test.

The police have not been using breathalysers over the past few months to prevent possible transmission of the Covid-19 virus. As a result, the prosecution rate for drink driving has come down and that led to an increased possibility of accidents.

Calcutta police commissioner Anuj Sharma had on Friday asked his traffic team to think of ways to tackle the problem of drink driving amid the pandemic.

Lalbazar sources said senior officers of the traffic department had been contemplating different ways to detect drink driving without the use of breathalysers.

“I have asked traffic personnel to take action against drink driving as this aspect had got slightly de-prioritised because of the pandemic. They have been asked to work out measures for having the person driving under the influence of alcohol tested, keeping all prescribed safety measures for Covid in place,” Sharma told Metro.

In the absence of breathalysers, the police have been depending on their instincts to stop and check motorists at random. Some of those who are suspected to be drunk are being taken to government hospital for an alcohol test.

“We cannot sniff a person these days because of the fear of Covid transmission and social distancing norms. We have to guess whether a person is drunk or not. But it is very difficult to convince motorists to visit hospital for the test without any evidence,” said a traffic cop.

A source said that as a part of the test, a driver may be asked to count the number of fingers shown by a traffic cop. An incorrect answer might indicate the driver is not in his senses under the influence of alcohol.

“A motorist may also be asked to walk in a straight line. Those who are drunk are likely to flunk the test,” the source said.

“Those who will fail the test will be taken to hospital. If the test at the hospital confirms the presence of alcohol, he or she will be prosecuted under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicles Act,” an officer said.

The permissible alcohol content is 30mg per 100ml of blood. A person can be fined Rs 2,000 or jailed for six months if the alcohol content in his or her blood is found to be more than that.