The Bangalore City Traffic Police, in an attempt to put a check on drunken driving, on Saturday night booked cases against 997 people across the city, and recommended suspension of their driving licences (DLs).
The special drive was carried out after a weeklong awareness campaign on the need to drive safe. The special drive was held between 9 p.m. on Saturday and 2 a.m. on Sunday. In the 112 check points across the city, 13,231 vehicles were checked. As many as 997 drivers, who had alcohol content beyond the permissible of 40 mg in their body, were booked.
“The highest amount of alcohol content in the body of one offender was 550 mg”, a statement from the police said.
Among the 997 first-time offenders, four are women. The police confiscated the DLs of the traffic rule violators, and recommended suspension of their DLs to the Transport Department.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) B. Dayanand said the booked offenders include 719 two-wheeler riders and 178 car drivers. While the provision to cancel licences of the first-time offenders always existed, it was rarely invoked and cancellation of DL was applicable only to repeat offenders. However, due to increasing incidence of drunken driving, the traffic police in co-ordination with the Transport Department officials invoked the provision in motor vehicle rules as a deterrent measure, a senior police officer said.
The offenders booked for drunken driving have also been booked for rash and negligent driving. Apart from confiscating their DLs, their vehicles were also seized. While the offenders have to get their vehicles released after paying fine at the jurisdictional magistrate court, the DLs have been sent to the Regional Transport Office concerned with a recommendation to suspend them.
Depending on the gravity of the case, the Transport Department officials will decide on the duration for which the DL will be suspended. Previous cases, if any, against the traffic rule offender concerned may also determine the duration for which the DL will be suspended, according to an official. The duration for the suspension of the DL may be for the duration of three to six months. And, the offenders will have to apply for a fresh DL later.
