Drunk driving: Fines fail, so Beganluru traffic police start preaching

Bengaluru: The city traffic police are not only imposing fines against traffic violators and managing traffic, but are also holding workshops to educate drunk drivers. The first two months of 2018 have seen a rise in drunk driving cases as compared to the last two years, which the police attribute to increased monitoring.

Recently, for the first time, the traffic police department held a workshop, for which top police officers, doctors, neurologists, lawyers and psychiatrists from reputed institutions were invited. They made the violators aware of the consequence of drunk driving. Over 100 offenders, who were caught in the past two months, were invited to be part of the workshop. Mr R. Hithendra, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), told Deccan Chronicle, "People think that traffic police only manage and regulate traffic and impose fines on traffic violators. But we are more than what others think, and this workshop is an example. Motorists caught drunk driving in January and February in 2018 were invited and most of them attended the workshop. They learnt how dangerous it is to ride or drive after consuming alcohol."

Another senior traffic police officer said, "Normally, the offenders are caught and fines are imposed. In case of repeat offenders, their driving licences are suspended. But this was not serving the purpose as there was no major effect on the motorists. That's why we decided to conduct the workshop and make them aware of the dangers of drunk driving. We told them about the future of their families if they were injured or died in an accident." He said, "Most of those who attended the workshop assured us that they would spread the message to their friends and colleagues. They also promised us that they will take a taxi or an autorickshaw whenever they have a drink."

Asked about the rise in drunk driving cases in 2018, he said, "Strict policing has helped us book more cases against offenders." An offender, who did not want to be named, said, "The workshop made us think twice about drinking and driving. We appreciate the efforts of the city traffic police and hope more such workshops will be held. The public should act responsibly and some day, the city can be free of drunk driving incidents."