Surviving motorist had high alcohol count, say police A taxi driver and his passenger were killed yesterday in a head-on collision in which the surviving driver allegedly had an alcohol level more than three times the legal limit. Leung Ka-keung, 27, was arrested for suspected drink driving after the crash in which taxi driver Lau Pui-kwong, 53, and his passenger, Wong Wai-yin, 28, died. A 29-year-old man who was a passenger in Leung's car was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in a serious condition. A 42-year-old passer-by suffered minor injuries from flying crash debris and was later discharged from hospital. Leung was also discharged after treatment for minor injuries and was freed on police bail pending further investigation. Police sources said that Leung registered an alcohol reading of more than 70 on a breathalyser. Under the law, the alcohol concentration should not be more than 22 micrograms in 100 ml of breath. The accident happened in Wylie Road, Yau Ma Tei, at 3am when Leung's car allegedly rammed into Lau's taxi in the oncoming lane, near Ho Man Tin Hill Road. Leung's car spun twice, while the taxi left the road and hung over a railing. Police and Fire Services Department rescuers took about 30 minutes to extract Lau, who had been pushed into the back seat by the impact. Lau was declared dead at Queen Elizabeth Hospital soon after the accident and Wong, his passenger, was certified dead at Kwong Wah Hospital at 11am. Lau's daughter, who was not named, was quoted in the Chinese-language press as saying that her father began driving taxis 33 years ago and had never had an accident. He stopped driving taxis 13 years ago because of asthma and resumed the work only a month ago. She said her family was trying to hide the tragedy from Lau's mother, who was in her 90s. A special team at Kowloon West police station is investigating the accident and has called on any witnesses to contact officers on 2773-5262 or 2773-5220. In the first three months of this year, police recorded 3,348 car accidents, including 16 related to drink driving. Drivers face a $25,000 fine and three years in jail for drink driving. Police carried out 1,335 breathalyser tests last year and 1,487 in 2004. Legislator Albert Chan Wai-yip, a member of the Legco panel on transport, said he was shocked by the fatal crash. Mr Chan said the government might consider increasing the penalty for drink driving to protect other road users. 'Besides setting up road blocks, police should also step up patrols in Tsim Sha Tsui, Lan Kwai Fong and Wan Chai, where most bars are located, to make sure people who are drunk do not try to drive,' Mr Chan said.
