Drunken driver held

TDT | Manama

A drunken driver was remanded yesterday, a few hours after he was seen driving recklessly in a viral video that raised nationwide condemnation. In the video, a white cooler minivan was seen “wobbling” from one lane to another while being driven on Shaikh Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Highway near Umm Al Hassam in the Capital Governorate.

Other footage that were widely circulated online showed the vehicle being driven in the same risky manner on Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Subah Highway near Sitra, where the driver was eventually involved in a minor.

Interior Ministry first confirmed the arrest of the driver in a tweet posted in the early hours yesterday, stating: “Regarding a circulated video, traffic takes legal steps against a truck driver who looks to be under the influence for hitting a vehicle and risking the safety of others.”

A few hours later, Traffic Prosecution confirmed that the man was under the influence of alcohol and that he was remanded pending trial. Chief Prosecutor Mohammed Al Dhahrani said in a statement yesterday that the driver was driving in a manner that is risking people’s lives and property, and confirmed that he rammed into another vehicle causing several damages to it.

“The truck driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. The accused was arrested, interrogated and confronted with the video.

“He confessed to the accusations attributed to him and the Prosecution ordered that he be held in pre-trial detention, and that he should be referred to the concerned court,” Mr Al Dhahrani added.

Meanwhile, Traffic Director-General Brigadier Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulwahab Al Khalifa revealed in a press statement released on Saturday that a smartphone application, which will enable residents and citizens to contribute to monitoring traffic violations, will be launched soon by the General Directorate of Traffic. Brig Shaikh Abdulrahman specified that the app would enable users to monitor wrong parking violations, considering its frequency, as he said it will create community control of wrong parking violations. However, the Director-General’s statement didn’t mention if users could report other traffic violations through the app. 

EWA strides discussed Manama Electricity and Water Affairs Minister, Wael Al Mubarak, received here yesterday the member of the Council of Representatives, MP Abdulla Ibrahim Al Dossari. The minister reviewed the Electricity and Water Authority (EWA)’s future plans and projects, in addition to its recent achievements.

The two sides discussed ways to enhance co-operation between EWA and the Council of Representatives, through supporting EWA’s plans aimed at improving its services.

The minister lauded the dedicated efforts of lawmakers to raise and discuss issues related to the citizens’ interests, as well as cooperation between the Executive and Legislative branches to meet the citizens’ aspirations and improve the quality of services delivered to them, in line with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s directives to strengthen cooperation between the two branches.

The lawmaker highlighted his constituency’s needs regarding services, and praised the minister’s interest in issues that serve the citizens, as well as his keenness to deliver the best services for the citizens and residents.