Party ploy fails -- drunk driver held

A MOTORIST who refused to get out of his car when police suspected him of drunk driving and then showed his membership certificate of Communist Party of China in a bid to avoid penalty has been detained for 15 days, officers said yesterday.

The driver, identified by his surname of Lin, is the general manager of a company in the Zhujing Industrial Park in Jinshan District.

Tests conducted at the scene showed that the alcohol content in Lin's blood was 1.14 milligrams per milliliter, well exceeding the limit of 0.8 milligrams per milliliter.

On Wednesday night, Jinshan traffic police were carrying out random checks on vehicle, when a sedan halted suddenly more than 10 meters away from the check point and tried to make a turn.

The car stalled and stopped in the middle of the road, police said.

Officers said there were four passengers and the driver had obviously been consuming alcohol.

The driver showed his Party certificate and closed the window quickly after police requested his driver's license, officers said.

Lin refused to get out of the car despite repeated requests and made phone calls to seek help from inside the vehicle.

Police had to call a truck to tow the car away as it caused a traffic jam.

After the car was taken to a police station, officers noticed that Lin had moved to the back seat.

However, a surveillance camera at the scene captured clear images of Lin behind the wheel.

Lin did not open the door until two hours after the incident -- and only then because he needed to go to the toilet.

Police said Lin was penalized according to law, regardless ofhis identity. His driving licensewas also seized.

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