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Moscow police start police raids to prevent drunk driving

On September 22 driver Alexander Maksimov, who was drunk at the wheel of his car running at speed of around 200 kilometers per hour, ran into a public transport stop

MOSCOW, September 24 (Itar-Tass) — Moscow police have started a police raid called "drunk driver" in the wake of a tragic traffic accident in Minskaya street in the west of Moscow on Saturday in which seven people, including five teenagers, were killed.

Anatoly Yakunin- Chief of the Moscow Head Interior department, has ordered to conduct the raid on September 24- October 1 for purposes of prevention of gross violation of traffic rules related to drunk driving, the press service of the Moscow Head Interior department told Itar-Tass. Traffic police inspectors and workers of other police structures are taking part in the police raid.

The Moscow Head Interior department asked the city residents to accept measures taken for purposes of ensuring safety of citizens with understanding.

On September 22 driver Alexander Maksimov, who was drunk at the wheel of his car running at speed of around 200 kilometers per hour, ran into a public transport stop and practically "scattered" the people who were at the stop. The victims included four youngsters who became winners of the Moscow Arts festival " We are Together" organized for children with restricted physical abilities. The driver found drunk at the wheel confirmed that he had been heavily drinking for at least a couple of days before driving. The investigation will demand to place them under arrest. But a maximum punishment for drunk driving is a mere nine-year' prison term

Maximov had already been stripped of his driver's license because of drunk driving in 2009.

A total of 7, 141 incidents of drunk driving have been registered in Moscow over the past eight months, 7. 759 incidents when drivers refused to undergo medical tests for alcohol and 113 more incidents in which owners of transport vehicles authorized other people to use their cars by proxy.

Since January until August drink drivers were responsible for 152 traffic accidents in which 15 were killed and 205 injured, Moscow police said. The death toll does not include the seven victims of the September traffic accident in Minskaya street in Moscow on September 22.