HYDERABAD: The traffic police has conducted special drives, imprisoned drunk drivers and many were asked to do social service. Despite all this there is not much of a decline in the number of people getting booked for drunk driving. Instead, the traffic police officials say that number of imprisonments for drunk driving has only increased compared to previous years.
In 2015, around 2,500 drunk drivers were imprisoned, and in 2016 the number rose to 7,500. A regular partygoer said, “Usually the police has check posts near bars and pubs, so we have someone else drive past the checkpoint and we take over later.” He continued, "Utilising the services of the parking lot attendant or offering a lift to someone who can drive and does not drink is another way of doing it. But if you are very close to the check point then the best option is to park the vehicle at the side of the road and leave.’’
Mr Rama Krishna, a cab driver from Hyderabad, said, ‘’I drive mainly at night and there has been an increase in hirings. Especially during weekends, we get back-to-back bookings, mainly from areas like Banjara Hills, Hitec City. People have become more cautious these days, which is why they are booking cabs after consuming alcohol’’. Though the graph of the number of cases booked for drunk driving has not reduced, according to the Hyderabad traffic police, the number of fatal accidents has decreased. Every month there are around 20 fatal accidents, which have been reduced to less then 10 in February.
Additional commissioner of police, traffic, Jitender said, “With the increase in special drives, the number of cases booked for drunken driving have risen but fatal road accidents have been reduced. When compared to the data of the last five years, February witnessed less then 10 fatal road accidents, but we see at least 20 fatal accidents in a month’’.
