In August, the traffic police had suspended their drive against drunken driving for fear that constables using the breath analyser kits could catch swine flu. Now they have found the solution, literally.

The solution, called Sterelium, is being used to sterilise the pipes attached to the police’s breath anaylser kits. Keeping the pipes in the solution for a couple of hours makes them safe to use again. The department has started stocking the solution ahead of the expected second wave of H1N1.

“The solution is readily available at chemists and our officials have been told to use them to sterilise the breath analyser kits’ pipes. This should allay the fears of motorists and traffic police personnel about contracting swine flu on using the kits,” JCP (Traffic) Sanjay Barve said.

The breath analyser involves police officials sniffing the breath of people suspected to have driven drunk.

The police have also made sure they will not run out of pipes till they have been sterilised. “We have made sure that we have a sufficient supply of pipes. No pipe is used for more than one driver,” DCP (Traffic) Nandkumar Chougule said.

“We have ordered a steady supply of pipes; also, every traffic police station has been given a bottle of the solution,” said a police official at Chembur.