A pool car driver ferrying school students on Monday afternoon failed a breathalyser test and was so inebriated that he was unable to move properly, police said.

The 42-year-old driver, Dinesh Sharma, scored 246.2 (mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood) in the test. The limit is 30.

Sergeant Manabendra Biswas of the Sealdah traffic guard stopped the vehicle — a Tata Winger — after it allegedly jumped the lights at the crossing of AJC Bose Road and SN Banerjee Road around 2.50pm.

“The car was ferrying children home from school. The sergeant asked Sharma for his driving licence but he failed to produce it,” an officer said.

“The sergeant felt suspicious and smelt alcohol. He asked the driver to undergo a breathalyser test. The reading was 246.2. The driver was not in a position to move properly.”

Sharma has been prosecuted under Section 185 of the motor vehicles act. The section states that a “person can be imprisoned for up to six months or asked to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 if alcohol exceeding 30mg per 100ml is detected in the bloodstream through a breathalyser. Second and subsequent offences can lead to imprisonment for two years or a fine of Rs 3,000”.

Officers of the traffic department said a pool car being driven by an intoxicated man was “unusual”.

Reading of pool car driver Dinesh Sharma’s breathalyser test: 246.2 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The limit while driving: 30 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood Sourced by Telegraph

A senior officer said they had been on high alert since Friday’s accident involving a pool car in Hooghly’s Polba. A Force Cruiser that lacked a fitness certificate ran out of control and hurtled into a ditch in Polba, leaving three students critically injured.

Thousands of children travel in pool cars to and from school every day in the city. Earlier, cars and buses had been caught ferrying schoolchildren without a fitness certificate.

Cops feel Monday’s incident has exposed the vulnerability of children travelling in pool cars, which some schools are suggesting as an alternative to commuting in personal cars to reduce air pollution.

An officer of the city police said they had faced resistance from guardians when more than 100 pool cars were declared unfit to ply last year. The guardians had said time constraint and lack of personal vehicles had made pool cars the most convenient mode of transport for their children.

“Unfortunately, old vehicles that are in poor shape are repaired and re-painted and deployed to ferry school students,” an officer said.

Checklist — Tips for parents

⚫ Ask for the pool car’s fitness certificate and check its validity

⚫ Ask for the vehicle’s chasis number and run a check on the pending traffic violation cases against the vehicle

⚫ Check the condition of the tyres

⚫ Ask for the driving licence of the driver

⚫ Ensure that there is a helper in the vehicle

⚫ Check whether the vehicle has belts for all seats