Increase in quantum of punishment leads to dip in first time offenders
22 July 2015 9:30 AM IST
Traffic cops say that they have seen a marked change in the behaviour of habitual drunken drivers
Since the quantum of punishment has been increased for drunk driving, instances of first time offences have come down in the last few months.
Hyderabad: Since the quantum of punishment has been increased for drunk driving, instances of first time offences have come down in the last few months. More importantly, the number of people sent behind bars has gone up significantly.
Roughly 16 per cent of the drunken drivers caught in the last three months have had to visit jail. Earlier, even second time offenders and drunken drivers caught with high levels of alcohol in their blood were let off with fines.
But in the last three months, the number of imprisonments has touched 631 (out of 4080 drunken drivers apprehended by traffic cops in April, May and June).
“We are maintaining a database of all offenses, chargesheets, convictions and even the fine amount for each offense. This computerized record of all police stations limits that is tallied ensures that even if an offender was caught in a distant part of the city previously, he or she cannot escape with a small fine for multiple offenses,” said DCP (Traffic), A.V. Ranganath. Calling for Cabs or having one person in the group not drink has now become common among partygoers.
Traffic cops say that they have seen a marked change in the behaviour of habitual drunken drivers.
“While there were 15 second-time offenders booked in the last one and a half years, only a single third-time drunken driver has been booked so far. “The very fact that the number of fatal accidents have come down from 440 in 2013 to 320 last year, is in itself an indication that drunken driving has come down,” added the official.
Offender sent to a month in jail
Deepak, 31, of Goshamahal, who was caught driving drunk for the third time recently, was sentenced to a month in jail by the metropolitan magistrate at the Erramanzil court on Tuesday. The magistrate also levied a fine of Rs 3,000 on him. This is the first case of a third-time offender being caught from 2014. The traffic police has sought suspension of his driving licence.
He was first caught by the Marredpally traffic police some months ago, and then held in June by the Charminar traffic police. He was caught for the third time by the Nampally traffic police. He was identified as a third-time offender thanks to the computerisation of records, which threw up his name.
Prior to this an autorickshaw driver was given one month in jail for driving with very high level of alchol in the blood.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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