As many as 41 motorists and motorcyclists were prosecuted for drink driving in the city on Christmas night.

The number of prosecutions on Christmas night was almost double the count on Christmas Eve and the highest on a single night in the past nine months.

The majority of the prosecutions for drink driving were reported from the Sovabazar crossing, Rashbehari Avenue and Garia.

Without breathalysers to detect the presence of alcohol in blood, the police stopped vehicles at random and used their instincts to identify if the person at the wheel was intoxicated.

Breathalysers are not being used as a precaution against the spread of Covid-19.

In Sovabazar, some of the motorcyclists who were unable to stand properly were sent to the hospital for an

alcohol test, the police said. They were prosecuted after the percentage of alcohol in their blood was found to be higher than the permissable level.

In Golpark, the police found more than one case where the person at the wheel was reeking of alcohol, making it easier for the cops to ask them for an alcohol test.

Some motorists resisted, saying a “test was unnecessary”. They were made to undergo the test in the hospital before being prosecuted.

At the Sovabazar crossing, the majority of the 12 prosecuted for drink driving on Friday night were motorcyclists, said an officer of Burtolla police station.

“We ensured that only the driver or the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital for the alcohol test. Those riding pillion or other passengers in case of four-wheelers were asked to go home,” said the officer.

Traffic cops said during the pandemic, they had been taking precautions to ensure no one was unnecessarily exposed to hospitals.

Nine people were prosecuted on Boral Main Road near Garia and four at the Rashbehari Avenue and Sadananda Road crossings.

One person was prosecuted for drink driving at the Theatre Road and Loudon Street crossings, where maximum cases of the offence were reported earlier this week.

Motorcyclist injured

A 20-year-old motorcyclist was injured after an unidentified vehicle hit him on Picnic Garden Road around 2.45am on Saturday.

Bikash Roy, a resident of Panditiya Road, was taken to Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, police said.

He was treated and later discharged from the hospital.