The designated driver caught driving after drinking by police

A designated driver in suburban Shanghai was found to be driving after drinking while his drunk client was asleep in the car, police said on Wednesday.

The driver was discovered in Jiuting Town in Songjiang District at 8pm on December 18 when the district police set up a road block to check for drink driving.

There was a strong smell of alcohol inside the car, and the driver, a man surnamed Zhao, was not reluctant when asked to have an alcohol test, police said.

Zhao was tested to have 33mg/100ml alcohol in his blood, surpassing the driving after drinking threshold of 20mg/100ml.

Zhao claimed that he had some beer at lunch that day, and thought it would not affect his work at night.

For this offense, Zhao was fined 1,500 yuan (US$218) with 12 points deducted from his driving license. His license will be suspended for six months, police said.